Coming Home
by Annamonk
Summary: Oz returns home, to the pack his wolf accepts. Chaos and joy ensue. This is an AU that departs the series after season 4. Joss owns them, I just borrow.
1. Chapter 1

She was gliding through the crowd on the dance floor, moving smoothly to the beat. Her long blonde hair was falling in loose waves around her shoulders. He watched her for a few moments, just standing in the doorway. Her leather pants were scuffed along the thigh and her shirt had a small tear at the hem. She had been hunting. He remembered the joy of patrolling with her. He watched her and felt the ties tighten around him. He was hers. He had traveled for over a year looking for answers, only to discover he had to come back to his pack. His pack, he let his eyes dart around the room and felt relief flood his body. There would be no confrontations. She was here alone. He pushed into the room and started toward her.

Her hips slowed and he saw her turn, saw the warmth in her eyes, before she coiled up and launched herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head to her shoulder taking in her scent, vampire dust and cinnamon. She shivered in his arms and touched the back of his head with her hand briefly.

"Oh, you're home, so good you're home." Her voice was thick with emotion and it soothed him. Her warm breath against his ear pulled at something deep within. He pulled back from her embrace and looked at her closely.

"Hey." He smiled in greeting. He loved the flash of amusement in her eyes. He knew she wouldn't pester him for long speeches and explanations.

She pulled him back toward her and started to dance with him, a happy grin playing across her face. He put one hand on her hip and fell into to step with her as if they had danced together a million times. She ran her fingers around the collar of his faded tee shirt and played in the over long russet hair.

"Did you find the answers you needed?" she asked and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Sort of." He pulled her closer for a moment. Then he sank to his knees in front of her and hugged her close. His head pressed to her hip, her hand splayed across the back of his head, they stilled as the moment took them. Her body shook, welling with emotion, and then he felt it, her acceptance, a warm glow inside of him. She gripped his hair tightly and pulled his head back.

"So, you are home to stay." It was a statement, not a question. He watched her ever-changing eyes slide from crystalline blue to the color he could only find in the clouds of a gathering storm. He swallowed, suddenly nervous, and nodded. She pulled him up from his knees and moved him back into the dance with her hands and hips.

She dropped her head on to his chest and listened to his heartbeat until a small giggle erupted from her. He pulled back from her and raised an eyebrow. She smirked at him then stuck her tongue out.

"The others?"

"They are all busy tonight, but I needed to be here for a bit." She spun about and nestled her back against his front, still keeping with the beat. "Do you have a place to stay?"

"I was going to head over to Xander's place, crash on the basement floor for a couple of days."

"He shares a place with Anya now. I sublet her place when they started co habiting. You are welcome to stay with me. I've got an extra room if you don't mind sleeping on my little girl bed."

"How girly?"

She grinned and flipped around to face him again. "Eyelet lace and lavender rose buds."

"I've always liked roses." Oz grinned as Buffy laced her fingers through his and led him toward the exit.

Paste your document here...


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy unlocked the door to her place and felt butterflies dance in her stomach. Riding to her home in Oz's van had been quiet. He was always so still. She looked behind her and blushed when he raised one eyebrow. She had offered him the room without thinking about it. It had seemed right to have him close. He would find it harder to leave again if he had a stable home life. She grimaced at the thought and pushed the door in spreading her arms wide. "Welcome to Shangri La."

He stepped into her space and all of the tension seemed to flee his body. There were the required college apartment furnishings, a huge futon, a funky floor lamp, even a beanbag on steroids, but the walls were a soothing blue the colors all muted. The punching bag hanging in the corner and the weapons locker on the wall next to the door even seemed to blend in. H could smell the lemon scent of cleanser and the waft of her perfume.

"The kitchen is on the other side of the breakfast bar. It's tiny, but well stocked. Use whatever you need." She walked toward a small hall and pointed to the first door. "Bathroom, spacious, great tub, but we might need to add some storage for your things. The next door is your room." He watched her hips sway as she walked down the hall and opened the door.

"Mom dumped my old furniture off a couple of weeks ago. I set it up, but do what you want with the room." She smiled at him. "It's nice to have you home."

The butterflies were back as she watched him walk around the room.

"It's a good place, Buffy. Thanks." His voice filled the space.

"It's our place now." She looked him straight in the eyes and handed him her spare key. "I want you to be here. You'll be my roomie." Again it wasn't a question. Oz grinned and nodded his head.

"I want to be here. I won't run again. My life is here. I left it, but it never left me." His voice was pitched low and Buffy watched him carefully.

"I remember what that's like. It's all Kansas and Oz."

His lips twisted to the side fighting the smile. Buffy and the word play, he shook his head. "That makes you Kansas, Buffy."

"So, call me Kansas, but remember there's no place like home." She grinned at him and touched his shoulder, feeling the heat radiate off him through his soft cotton tee shirt. "Only short trips from now on, Oz. I want return dates circled on my calendar. Don't disappoint me." She growled playfully.

"I won't." He leaned back into her touch, rocking on his heels.

"Are we going to need to put in a cage?" She stroked his back as she looked around the room trying to imagine it.

"I don't have to change all the time. I have some control, but I think we can reinforce the closet and not make it obvious. I won't need it for clothes since I have the girly dresser."

"I'll call Xander tomorrow." She dropped her hand from him and looked around the room. "He might be able to help with the furniture as well. Sand it down or paint it. I don't know."

He dropped his duffle bag and watched her dither about. He smiled and tilted his head. She always surprised him. She was a fierce fighter, beautiful in battle. She was wily and smarter than she let on. She had been bold dancing at The Bronze, but here in her own home she faltered. He could smell her arousal. The scent of warm honey mixing with her cinnamon scent was pushing at him. He wanted to grab her, kiss her, and throw her down on the bed she'd used as a little girl. He thought of her hair spread across the pillow as he followed her down, pressing himself into her.

She drew a sharp breath and turned around the room. "You'll be okay. Right? I've gotta patrol." She ran across the hall and he stood pulling the scent of her into his lungs.

He smiled and felt something ease within him. He wouldn't have turned her away, but he was glad she had fled. There were things to settle, and he wanted her to be sure of him before he took her to bed. He opened his duffle and pulled the letters she had written to him on his journey and placed them in the one drawer of the nightstand. He closed the drawer and let the feeling of belonging sweep through him. He was home.


	3. Chapter 3

Willow hurried across campus, happy to be preparing for another year of higher education. She was thinking about organic chemistry, a spell, and the small moan Tara made when she kissed her behind her left knee when she slammed into Riley. He looked down at her and grinned.

"Willow, it's great to see you." He steadied her as she wobbled under the weight of her shifting books.

"Buffy didn't tell me you were back. I guess that explains the last few days of incommunicado Buffy."

"Sorry, I haven't seen her yet. Where are you guys living?" He pulled the huge book bag from Willow and carried it for her as they walked.

"I'm living with Tara this year. Buffy's got her own place, off campus. She didn't want to risk another roommate. Can't really blame her." Willow looked up at Riley and grinned. "It sure is good to see you. Buffy will be so glad."

"I hope so. I didn't get much chance to deal with stuff after the Adam thing. I couldn't even get a letter out to her. I hope she'll forgive me."

"Chocolate, flowers, and a great big honey I'm home aught to do the trick." Willow laughed at his sheepish grin.

"I think a gift might help, would you head out to the mall with me tomorrow. I could use a little best friend guidance." Willow nodded her head. "I mean you know what she really wants."

"Don't you forget it. When do you want to go?"

"I need to settle in to Lowell House again, so tomorrow early afternoon."

"One, and I will need coffee provided."

"I will be your mocha dealer for the day." He returned her backpack to her with a flourished bow.

She watched him walk away; thinking about how happy Buffy would be to see him. Willow cocked her head and wondered why Buffy hadn't called her for three days. "Maybe she's putting in some extra patrolling, so she can concentrate on classes." Willow shook her head at her own silliness.


	4. Chapter 4

Riley decided to surprise Buffy on patrol and popped the earrings Willow had helped him pick out into his pocket. The tiny GPS locator he had placed in them was active. The government wanted her observed, and he would do it. He headed out with a couple of stakes.

He was walking by a crypt when he heard the sounds of a scuffle. He smiled and loped toward the sounds. He saw the blur of her body as she whirled, battling three vamps with ease. He rushed up to help her, wanting to worm his way back into her good graces. His blow missed and he was knocked to the ground. He heard a low growl and flipped over looking for the new threat.

His eyes landed on Oz, his lips curled in anger as he aimed the crossbow and loosed the bolt. The vampire exploded in a flash of dust while Oz calmly reloaded. He watched the smaller man stalk closer, circling for a clean shot. Riley surged up and jumped back into the fray. He needed to impress Buffy.

Buffy staked one of the vampires and grinned. She was going to enjoy this last one. Her feral grin and quick wink at Oz was message enough. He leaned back against a gravestone and waited for her to finish playing.

She jabbed and ducked, dancing around the vampire. She knew Riley was standing on the other side of the giant demon, but figured he had the sense to stay out of her fight. She flipped and kicked the vamp in the chin, a peal of laughter escaping her as she landed on her feet. She was showboating for Oz. Giles would be horrified. She grinned. Ducking beneath the vampire's awkward grab, she moved in with Mr. Pointy.

Riley lunged at the hulking vampire and flew through a dust cloud knocking Buffy into a tombstone with a sickening pop. She lay with her legs locked underneath Riley's bulk and felt a tear slip down her face.

Oz was there, throwing Riley back and checking her carefully. Her watery grin washed through him. He ran a thumb along her cheek and wiped her tear away.

"Giles is going to give me the showboating lecture again." Buffy pushed herself up and glared at Riley. "It's his fault."

Oz smirked at Riley and helped Buffy walk over to the mausoleum. He winced as she rammed her shoulder back into place. She leaned against his side for a second. He traced one hand along her side. "Let's head over to Giles' place. I'll treat you to a sundae on the way home." His lips teased against her ear. "Anything you want on it, no limits."

Buffy looked up at him with her eyes wide and ran one hand across his stomach, enjoying the feel of his muscles contracting. Oz grinned at her and pushed away from the mausoleum to face Riley as he approached.

"Anything you want, Buffy, but later, okay?" She nodded quickly and turned a too bright smile toward her ex.

"Riley, didn't know you were coming back. What brings you to my neck of the woods this time?"

"I wanted to see you, Buffy. I wanted to surprise you." He looked at her, pasting a sweet slightly deject look on his face.

Oz shook his head and gathered the weapons bag. The idiot had dated her for almost a year and didn't know she could actually smell a lie. It was amusing in a raise your eyes to the heavens and wonder what she ever saw in this guy. Oh, yeah, he wasn't Angel.

"Well, I'm surprised." She stepped away from Riley. "I'm kind of busy. I'll see you sometime." She ducked back and tossed Riley his stake.

Riley watched as she walked away. She never glanced back. He groaned. She was pissed about the lack of contact. He'd have to try harder. He'd go to Willow for help.


	5. Chapter 5

Giles smiled to himself. Sitting with Oz while Buffy showered blissfully emptying his hot water heater was a relief. He could see that things were changing. Perhaps she was done playing around with her heart. She seemed happier and more in tune with herself. Giles closed his eyes and remembered Buffy arriving at his door after patrol three nights before and blurting out that she was living with Oz by way of greeting. He had smiled and asked her if Oz liked the spare room. After seeing them together, he knew Oz's room would be spare again soon.

"How is living in the eye of the storm?" Giles asked.

"Peaceful. I like it." Oz smiled and seemed to look inward.

"I take it she hasn't told Willow you're back. Is there any reason or is it just Buffy being Buffy?"

"Buffy being Buffy. She's worried about hurting Willow, but I'll handle it soon. I want to make her life easier, Giles. She has enough to do." Oz looked at him their eyes locked for a moment. "I was going to come here to talk to you in the morning."

Giles nodded and pulled his glasses off to polish them.

"I want to do the right thing. I need to know that I'm not hurting her." Oz looked at the ground feeling ashamed.

"If this has something to do with your nature, I rather think your condition makes you a better choice for her. You are stronger and harder to kill. You will never leave her."

"I'll never leave again either way. She's my alpha. The Scoobies are my pack. I want to be by her side in any capacity she allows."

Giles looked at the wolf. "It won't be easy. I see the benefits for her, but you must be aware that there are some rather difficult realities in your future."

"I know there's a good chance she'll die before me." Both men fell silent, dreading the future they could all to easily imagine.

Giles stood and paced to the counter. He poured two glasses from his finest single malt. "A few precious hours against the endless years." He handed Oz the drink.

" Still, think of those hours, alive in the eye of her storm." Oz grinned at the watcher as he tried not to blush. "And you as a watcher in law. I think it will be enough and never enough."

"I think that's how you know it's right, Oz."

"And I get you as a watcher in law."

"But you get stuck with Hank Summers as a father in law."

The two men shared a look and small chuckles before settling down to the real work of waiting for Buffy.

Giles pulled books from the shelves and handed one to Oz. "Let the research begin."

Oz looked the book over,

"Can I take this one with us?"

"It's a good general source on lycanthrope behavior, so you are welcome to it. I have a slightly different edition compiled thirty years earlier." Oz went very still and ran a finger along the cover. Giles noted the change. Everything with Oz was subtlety. "I started researching for you the day she took you under her wing."

"Thanks." Oz smiled quickly and pulled a second book from the desk.

"Have you seen her library?" Giles asked though he knew the answer.

"If you mean the absurd amount of fashion magazines, then yes. Is there more?"

Giles pushed back from the desk. "Buffy hates research, but shortly after you left she started attending various estate sales and auctions with me. In the last year, she has started acquiring books for her own research. I can't tell you what all she has, but three months ago, she sold a weapon to purchase a series of diaries."

"Buffy sold a weapon? She's maniacal about them. I mean I remember how she used to treat them, but she must spend two hours a day on maintenance now."

"It is a rather lovely dagger, cost me a bit to get it back for her, when I discovered what she had done." Giles pulled out a small wooden box and passed it over to Oz. "I intend to return it to her for Christmas."

"I won't spoil it." Oz plucked the dagger from the velvet lining. Turning it in his hand admiring the balance. The hilt was formed around a series of stones.

"Three slayers have owned that weapon before Buffy. It was used to avert an apocalypse at the turn of the century. Buffy sold it to buy a collection of journals written by a Welsh woman who mated a werewolf."

Oz felt joy surging through him. He sighed and returned the blade to its case. "Interesting." Oz handed the treasure back to Giles with a half smile tugging at his lips.


	6. Chapter 6

Oz turned the key in the door as Buffy danced about the hall, teasing him with bites of her giant sundae. He smiled as she licked the back of the spoon with relish, capturing an errant glob of hot fudge with her tongue. She dipped the spoon back into her rapidly melting treasure and giggled at the cream covered cherry nestled on the spoon. She brought the spoon to her lips and nudged the cherry with her pursed lips making strange sucking sounds. Oz considered ramming his head against the door instead of opening it. Ice cream was a delightfully bad idea. Oz smiled as the scent of her swirled around him. He knew patrol left her hungry for many things; frozen yogurt was definitely not one of them.

Buffy darted through the door moaning and wiggling in delight. The sundae tasted good and watching the stirring of desire in Oz's eyes made it that much better. She wanted to smear some across his lips and lick it off, maybe more than his lips. Oz groaned very softly, and started putting away the weapons from her bag. She watched his body as he bent and enjoyed the flush of desire coursing through her. The ice cream took care of one kind of hunger. She badly wanted Oz to take care of the other.

She closed her eyes. He had only been home three days. Rushing into this was a bad idea, a bad slayer idea. She bit her lower lip and watched him close her weapons locker. She really liked the bad idea, but she hadn't even told Willow he was home yet. She gulped down three quick bites of ice cream, lost in her thoughts.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Oz smiled as she jerked back into the real world.

"Sure, let me clean up my hands and I'll be right with you." She grinned at him and turned into their tiny kitchen to rinse off the sundae container before tossing it. She through a bag of microwave popcorn into the microwave and ran to the restroom. She surveyed the old tee shirt and sweats she had kept at Giles' place and decided to just leave it. Changing would be too weird, too pushy.

Oz had poured the microwave popcorn into a huge bowl and was just getting ready to sit on the futon when Buffy bounded into the room. He tilted his head and took in her scrubbed face and her nervous movements.

"Buffy, we need to talk."

She turned to him her eyes wide and panicky. "What do you mean? Are you moving out? What's going on?" Her hand flew to her mouth as if she were trying to stop the flow of questions.

"I'm not leaving. This isn't even a bad thing. I just want you to relax, and I want to be able to relax with you okay."

Buffy nodded her head and walked over to the futon and scrunched herself into a tiny ball on it.

Oz pulled her on to his lap, resting his forehead against hers. "I want you Buffy. I know you want me, too. Right now you can feel how much I want you, and if you could stop wiggling around I'd appreciate it"

She stilled, and Oz stroked his hand up and down her back for a few minutes. The tension melted out of her and she snuggled into him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and looked into her eyes.

"I'm not thinking short term, Buffy. If we start down this road, I want us both to be on the same page. Are we?"

Buffy leaned back and looked at him for a long time. She reached up and traced his lip with her finger. "I want long term."

Oz leaned forward and kissed her gently, a brief touch of their lips. He felt the wolf part of him trying to surge to the fore and broke the kiss. "How about tonight we watch a movie? We can kiss and cuddle and when the movie is done I'll walk you to your room and kiss you senseless before we retire to our own rooms."

"Why? Why not?" She blushed and looked down, gesturing to their bodies with her hand.

"I want this to be perfect. You deserve perfect, and I will be the man to give it to you." Oz grabbed her chin and kissed her again sliding back against the futon until she was on top of him.

She traced his lips with her tongue and smiled as he opened his lips slowly for her. She delved right in, letting her tongue dance along his. He tasted like popcorn. She trailed her lips along his jaw until she grasped his ear lobe and bit down. Oz groaned and bucked beneath her. She pressed a gentle kiss against his abused ear lobe. Her breath teased along the shell of his ear.

"When you join me in our bed, when you're ready, it will be perfect. It will be us."


	7. Chapter 7

Waking up fully dressed, held tightly in Oz's arms, made for a peaceful Buffy. She smiled and played with the hair at his nape, not wanting to be the first to move away. So, there hadn't been a kiss goodnight at her bedroom door. She wanted that, wanted him to push her against the wall in their hall and kiss her like he was drowning in her, like he had already spent most of the last night kissing her, but she could wait. Waking up in his arms in their home was wonderful. She grinned at the sunlight drifting through the window. Everything was right. Oz opened his eyes and grinned up at her.

"Is it too late to walk you down the hall like a gentleman?"

Buffy smiled and hugged him to her. "I haven't slept that well in years. Thank you, Oz."

"I spend the whole night with my golden goddess and she thanks me." Oz tilted his head and winked at Buffy. "I'll make breakfast. You can have the first shower."

Oz flipped them around and pressed her into the futon with his body. He stared into her eyes for a long moment and then kissed her, parting her lips and plundering. Buffy arched up into him, making little mewing sounds deep in her throat. Her hands slid up and down his back. Trying to pull him in closer with each pass. Oz pulled his lips from hers, breathing heavily. He kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose and slowly stood up rubbing every inch of their bodies together in the process.

"Welcome to good morning kisses gone wild." Oz smirked at her silliness.

Buffy smiled languidly up at him. He offered his hand to her and helped her up. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before nipping his earlobe with her teeth.

"See, you're still very much a gentleman." She rested her head on his shoulder and hugged him. "Make it pancakes." Oz shook his head as she scampered down the hallway, her golden hair trailing behind her.

Buffy stepped into the shower, smiling. She was happy, truly happy. She looked at their shampoo bottles sitting next together. The shampoo she bought with Willow. Guilt swamped Buffy, dragging her down for a moment.

"I'm such a bad friend. I haven't called her in days, haven't told her he's back. She's going to hate me." Buffy whispered to herself, afraid Oz would hear her.

Buffy spent the next few hours in a strange state balanced between frustration and joy. Being with Oz was wonderful. It worked seamlessly. Their things blended together. They ate breakfast together in quiet, each reading a section of the paper. Then he practiced his guitar while she did time with the bag, kicking and hitting while day dreaming of kissing and touching. She went to get dressed and came out to find him working the bag. Then they headed out for the day, sharing a quick kiss and a long look before they parted company.

She arrived home after work and smiled at the silly note he'd left promising her to hunt up dinner. They worked, like peanut butter and jelly. Buffy looked around their home. She loved the odds and ends that he left scattered about the place. One of his guitars leaned against the arm of the futon. There was a small statue of a wolf, hand carved in soapstone, on the end table. There were drawings in a sketh pad cast upon the coffee table. Her weapons cabinet had a pile of multicolored blankets in a basket next to it. He sweetened her. Her home had been clean and nice. Their home was warm and inviting.

She sat on the futon and grabbed one of her magazines. She tried to decide who wore it better for about half a second, and then she started worrying about how to tell Willow.

Oz picked that moment to enter the apartment. He sniffed the air and watched Buffy for a second. Her jeans were slung low across her hips and the black tank top barely covered her. She was sitting peacefully with some entertainment rag across her lap. She looked serene, but he could scent her panic.

"I've got dinner, Chinese." He waved the bag invitingly. "We need to celebrate."

Her eyes darted to his face. Her pupils were huge.

"I am a college student again. I'm officially back from my leave of absence. I found a job, just working in an old record shop, and I called Willow. I got her number from speed dial. Hope you don't mind."

Buffy looked at him with huge eyes. "Is she mad at me?"

"Why would she be mad at you, Buffy?"

"Well, I didn't tell her you were here. I've had days and days, but I just kept finding reasons not to call."

"I handled it. I told her I was living here and asked you to let me get settled before we did the whole dramatic reunion thing. She seemed fine. So, no problems for my slayer, none at all." He watched Buffy's body relax, and felt his own respond in kind. "So, Chinese?"

"Chinese." She agreed and followed him over to the kitchen.

"So, school, job, and emotional turmoil handled." He cast a smug look in her direction.

"Yep, mischief managed. You really are my hero." She winked at him saucily.

Her small hand rested on his back as she stood on her toes to look over his shoulder into the sack. He felt it like electricity. He closed his eyes and savored her scent. She moved her body closer to his and dropped back down from her toes.

"What did you get? "

"Don't worry. You'll like it. Want to go Bronze it, after?" He glanced back at her, turning slightly and brushing his upper arm across one breast.

Buffy blushed, but she didn't step back. She worried her lower lip with her teeth and nodded.

"Go figure out something to stun the mere mortals. I'll make up the plates." He turned back toward the food and felt her body press against his. He sucked in the scent of her arousal and smiled. She leaned on him for several minutes before turning and heading to her room.

"Do you want me to call the gang, arrange a meet and regreet? " He called out as he dished the food on to their plates.

"Sounds like fun." Buffy grimaced at the thought of seeing the whole gang. She didn't want to share Oz right now. She wanted to dance with him and not worry about what the others were thinking, but keeping him to herself would make things awkward.

She leaned against her closet door and looked for the perfect outfit. She wanted to feel him pressed against her. She closed her eyes and traced her fingers along the breast he had rubbed against. She wanted him to feel like howling.

She pressed her head against her closet door. This thing between them was driving her crazy. She pulled out a short black skirt and a halter top with a bright floral pattern. She had opted for more practical clothing recently, but her inner slayer was screaming for her to take action.

Oz shook his head. She always surprised him. He heard her heals on the hardwood floor as she walked down the short hall. He turned toward her, and felt all the air escape from his body. The expanse of her shoulders the delicate line of her back, and the flirty slits on the side of her skirt pulled at him. She smiled at him and held out her hands, twirling. "So, do I pass inspection?"

"Very nice." He smiled as she continued posing for him. "Where are your weapons?"

"I guess it depends on what I'm trying to slay." The twist of her lips and the storm cloud color of her eyes sent heat spiraling through him. "Maybe, if you are really good tonight, I'll show you."


	8. Chapter 8

Xander, Anya, Willow And Tara watched as Buffy walked into the Bronze with Oz. His hand was resting on the small of her back as they paused and scanned the room. Buffy leaned toward him obviously whispering something. She turned to see him nod once in response. The couple held perfectly still for a moment, and then Oz tilted his head and Buffy turned with him. They moved smoothly never pausing as they circled the club. The four Scoobies watched, puzzled by the strange behavior.

Oz pulled Buffy on to the dance floor, and they moved together in and out through the crowd searching for the thing that had Buffy on high alert. His hand glided on her hip, but all he could feel was her reaching senses. The constant scrape of her power on his wolf made him uneasy. He let his hand slide under her shirt and rest on the bare skin just above her skirt. She sighed and swiveled her hips against his thigh. He raised an eyebrow as she met his eyes, the scent of her arousal wafted around them. He growled low in his chest, an appreciative sound. Her cheeks bloomed with the sweetest pink he had ever seen. He trailed his fingers out from under her shirt. Buffy shrugged and grabbed his hand pulling him through the crowd to the table where the gang sat.

Oz helped Buffy on to her stool and slid his a touch closer to hers, putting both of their backs against the wall. He dropped his hands on to the table and quirked an eyebrow at the assembled group. Buffy was using her slayer senses again. He could feel her reaching out with them.

"It's good to see you, man. It's been too long." Xander tilted his head toward Buffy. "What's the what?"

"Something's off. Sensed it. Bad mojo." Oz shrugged and looked over the group. They looked good. He felt the relief of being with his pack easing some of his stress over Buffy's tension. He eased back and brushed his shoulder against hers. He felt her shiver.

Buffy's eyes popped open. She glared at Willow. "Give it to me, or destroy it yourself. Now" Buffy growled.

Willow pulled the small bag from the pocket of her jeans and tossed it to Buffy. The Slayer grabbed the velvet bag and cried out as her hand started dripping blood. Oz jumped to his feet along with Xander and Anya. Willow pushed Tara behind her and looked on in horror as Buffy tried to let the bag go. It wouldn't come free of her skin. The velvet bag was fused to Buffy's palm.

Oz turned glowing eyes toward Willow. "What is it? It's hurting her." He couldn't keep the growl from his voice.

"It shouldn't it was only a little spell to help keep Tara safe if you lost it again." Willow stuck her chin out.

"Make it stop hurting her." He growled deeper losing more ground to the wolf within. "Cast the counter or whatever, but make it stop."

"I don't know how to make it stop, Oz. I would if I could." Willow's chin quivered and she started to cry.

Buffy moaned and curled against him, holding her hand away from him. She wouldn't let him near it. "Make Willow wrap it up. No one touches it. Use Xander's ugly shirt."

The gang paused for a moment. Then they flew into action. Xander shrugged out of his bowling shirt and handed it to Willow. She reached for Buffy's hand only to find it jerked away from her. She watched in shock as Oz turned Buffy away from her. He growled, losing more ground to the wolf, its need to protect.

Buffy used her good hand to touch his face drawing his eyes to hers. "They glow all sparkly like emeralds." She smiled weakly at him and swallowed. "Let her wrap my hand. Her magic, her risk. Okay?"

Oz nodded and dropped his forehead to Buffy's. He couldn't stop growling, but he let Willow take care of the wrapping.

"Giles, get me to Giles." Buffy whispered in his ear.

Oz swung her into his arms and carried her out of the club with the other Scoobies trailing behind. Half of his mind tried to follow the conversation being whispered behind him. There was information he needed, but he couldn't pull back from the panic and rage. He tried to control his breathing, to regain control.

He managed to get her strapped into the passenger side of his van before she started screaming. He turned and watched Willow tremble under his cold stare.

"Get in the back, Willow. Giles will need to know what you've done." His eyes flashed. His wolf was clawing at him.

"I'm really, really sorry." Willow shuddered with each scream. Oz fought the urge to rip her apart, to taste her blood and rip her entrails. His eyes slipped to Xander and Anya.

"I heard you guys talking. Xander, Anya, do you know where she stashed the damned spell book or whatever it is." They nodded. "Then go get it. Bring it to Giles' place." Xander and Anya took off running with no hesitation.

He turned to look at the frozen redhead. "I told you to get in the back."

"Get in the car, honey." Tara pushed Willow. "We all know this was an accident. Buffy will forgive you, but you have to be strong now."

Oz watched as the girls jumped into the back and then he sped off toward Giles', with Buffy's screams reverberating through the van.


	9. Chapter 9

Giles cursed and rushed toward the door as he heard Buffy's voice screaming in agony. He saw Oz pulling her from the Jeep and heard the screams taper to whimpers as her head lolled against the werewolf's shoulder. He pushed the panic down, and reached for her.

"Sorry, if I let her go the screaming will be back." Oz looked up at Giles and there were tears coursing down his face. "The only thing that makes it stop is me holding her."

"Fine, can you tell me what happened?" Giles watched as Oz settled on the couch with Buffy draped across his body.

"We decided to have a little Scooby fun night. You know, get the gang back together. When we got to the Bronze Buffy went on alert. She said there was magic, not good magic, in the room, but she couldn't pinpoint it. Turns out that's it." He nodded toward her hand.

Giles looked at the hand encased in a bright orange shirt so ugly it could only be Xander's. Buffy opened her eyes and groaned.

"It's a little velvet bag, it burns like a hot poker, worse than tiny cuts and salt." Buffy closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Oz's chin, drifting back into her whimpering stupor.

"Do you have any idea who did this? It might help us figure out how to counter act the spell." Giles drew Oz's attention away from Buffy.

"Willow can tell you more once she gets in here. She knows what the damn thing is. She made it. Buffy figured it out, pinpointed the source. She was angry, and made Willow give her that thing."

Giles turned a baleful eye to Willow as she crept into his home. "What have you done now?"

"I made it to protect Tara." She looked miserable. "I wanted to keep her safe if Oz went wolfy on her."

"Where did you get the spell?" Giles stood, pacing.

"A book I picked up after Oz went nuts last time." Willow collapsed against the breakfast bar in tears.

"We already sent Xander after it." Tara told Giles and walked around to the wolf cradling her friend to his chest. "Can I touch her, do you think?" She asked him looking him straight in the eye. "I can try some healing magic. It might dull the pain."

Oz wanted to pull Buffy away from Tara, but he looked up at her guileless face and nodded curtly. Buffy didn't flinch rom Tara's touch. After a few minutes the painful whimpering started to subside. Tara met his gaze again and smiled a bit. He nodded his head in thanks and pressed a small kiss to Buffy's temple.

"What's in the pouch, Willow?" Giles asked it softly, trying to sound reasonable.

"Wolf's bane, agrimony, acacia, chrysanthemum, a moonstone earing." Willow gulped as she watched pain flash across Oz's face.

"The earring, Giles, Buffy helped me find it. She picked it out, told me Will would love it. She played with the pair for the whole day while we Christmas shopped. Could that have something to do with this?"

"It probably doesn't help, but I would imagine the fact that she's your Alpha may have a bit more to do with it."

Willow's head jerked toward Giles. "What do you mean? How can Buffy be his alpha? She isn't a wolf."

"No she isn't. Slayers are immune to the bite," Oz's head shot up looking intently at Giles as he continued. "But a werewolf forms or finds a pack fairly quickly. Oz never did. He stayed with us. We are his pack." He watched Oz nod. Giles closed his eyes and grimaced. He knew after his talk with Oz that there was more going on between the pair, but prying could wait for a less volatile moment.

"I was going to come talk to you in the next couple of days, see if you'd found anything." Oz met his eyes, their gazes locked. Giles smiled and nodded his head.

"We'll have that chat, and get caught up after this is over."

"But doesn't an alpha have to accept you? She'd have to know. Why didn't she tell me? I'm her best friend." Willow looked perturbed.

"Not the best time to go why me, honey?" Tara nodded at Buffy to help keep Willow on track.

Willow turned around ignoring them all. "If she had told me, I wouldn't have needed the spell. She's being all secret keeping and ignoring me again and now we're in another mess."

"So, it's her fault that you wielded black magic again?" Giles yanked his glasses off and glared at the young witch.

Willow stared up at him, and for a moment Giles saw the blackness swirl through her eyes. He stepped back and ran his hand over his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Willow, go outside and sit by the fountain. Do anything but be here, right now." Tara stood shaking.

"But, Baby." Willow's face crumpled again.

"You did this, Willow. She didn't keep anything from you that you needed to know. She trusted you. She'll forgive you. It's what she does, but you shouldn't forgive yourself." Tara turned her back on Willow and sat by Buffy again, using all her magic to try to hold off Buffy's pain.

"Thank you." Oz smiled at the blonde. I'm having a hard time keeping it in check, having her gone helps. He kissed Buffy's temple and leaned his forehead against her hair.

Tara smiled at them and kept stroking Buffy's arm. She was pumping healing magic into Buffy with every stroke. Oz looked down at her and fixed his emerald gaze on her for a moment. "I'm sorry about last year. I didn't understand very much about myself at the time. I could have hurt you."

"I don't think you could have hurt me. You love Willow and Buffy. Killing me would have destroyed your pack. I think you stopped because you are good. I hope we can be friends." Tara glanced up at him shyly.

"I think we are already on our way."


	10. Chapter 10

Xander and Anya came hurtling into the apartment. Xander was carrying a huge box of books, and almost took out the desk in his haste to dump the heavy load. "I decided to bring her whole secret stash. I know one of them is yours, Giles. She stole it during the library exodus. The sad thing is these were in her double secret hiding spot. Anya said we should get them all. I really hope we did."

"This is the one she used." Anya clutched the book to her chest for a moment. "It's an old high Thuringian dialect. I can read it. Willow was using a computer translator with a medieval German dialect. I snagged the paper she made notes on." She reached in her pocket and pulled it out.

"It's okay, Ahn. You need to tell them." Xander stepped behind her placed one hand gently on her shoulder.

"Giles, this is one very nasty spell. If Oz had touched that thing, he'd be dead now. I'm not sure why it's hurting Buffy, her being mostly human."

"I'm mostly human." Oz tilted his head.

"It's a slow death spell. It's a work of art. I mean magically speaking it's practically demonic. The user tags the wolf with that mess and follows it home to kill the mate and pups. Eradicate an entire pack for the cost of a little black magic, it's very efficient."

"And it's only a little creepy that you think that's art, honey" Xander stroked her hair.

"Not all art is beautiful." Anya looked down. "I'll start translating the other spells. There might be a counter, but it's unlikely."

"Why?" Tara ducked her head when everyone looked her way.

Anya sighed and fussed with her sweater. "These spells were written about the time I was originally human. Counter spells weren't common. If a witch or a lesser magic user like myself wanted to do something, well, I became a vengeance demon. It was a violent time, most things were extreme." She shrugged and sat at the desk, grabbing pens and a yellow pad of paper. She sighed and opened the book. "Such a shame really, no one speaks like this anymore. Xander, I need sustenance."

"I'll call for the pizza." He ducked into the kitchen.

Giles turned to the box of books and blanched as he flipped through them. He pulled one slender volume from the group and cursed. Oz and Tara both noticed and shared a glance of concern,

"Go. I've got Buffy, and Giles is usually unflappable." Oz smiled at the shy girl, encouraging her to take her place among them. He liked her. She was kind and soft, but she wasn't weak. Willow was a lucky woman to have such a fine mate.

"What's wrong, Mr. Giles?" Tara looked up at him.

"Many things, Tara. Mostly, I'm wondering how I missed this developing. These kinds of books do not contain anything I would desire for either of you to learn. This is dark magic, and half of it is stolen from my own library."

"B-but, Willow doesn't do dark magic." Tara felt panic rising in her stomach.

"Look at Buffy, and tell me that again." Giles tried to soften his harsh words with a consoling pat. "She's been studying these books, maybe using them, it's affecting her. It's why you asked her to leave, isn't it?"

"I didn't know it was because of this. I thought her energy was bad for Buffy." Tara looked at the books in the box and shuddered.

"Your instincts are those of a natural healer. I doubt Willow is too far down this road, or you would have noticed it." Giles looked away from the girl, not wanting to lash her with his doubt. "Do you have any idea where Willow acquired these books?"

"I didn't even know she had them or a double secret hiding space for that matter. I don't like being this close to some of them, and they've been in my home." Tara brushed at the tears that quietly ran down her cheeks.

Giles pulled her into an awkward hug, patting her back. He looked over to Oz and Buffy. "We've faced difficult times before this one. Willow will need our help, and it isn't going to be easy. I saw darkness in her, but it doesn't own her yet."

Xander and Oz shared a look. Giles being reassuring was a sure sign of trouble. Xander moved to Anya's side rubbed her shoulders.

"I don't have time for you to give me orgasms at the moment, Xander. There's something here." She shrugged his hands from her shoulders, and flipped back three pages.

Giles and Tara stepped closer to the desk. Anya looked up at them and smiled. "He just needs to bite her."


	11. Chapter 11

"Bite her?" Xander exploded. "Why is it always about hurting her. Can't he just give her some flowers?"

"She needs to accept him as a wolf to be his Alpha. The spell won't work on an Alpha. The book has warnings." Anya stabbed her finger toward the pages.

"It won't work. Slayers are immune to the bite. I've done the research." Giles looked away.

"Slayers aren't immune. They just don't change." Anya stood up and walked over to where Oz and Buffy sat. "Bite her, make sure to get some saliva in the cut." She waved her hands at him encouragingly.

Oz looked at her and shifted Buffy even closer to him. "You said she isn't immune."

"How is it you know nothing about what you are?" Anya tossed her hands in the air. "There is only one pure human in the room, my Xander. The rest of you are freaks, a slayer, a werewolf, a watcher, and a witch."

"If you took the time to explain, it might be helpful." Giles settled into the chair while Tara and Xander sat upon the floor.

"Well, watchers have been inbreeding for a long time, marrying the potentials, and magic users too. I'd imagine there have been quite a few of those in your genealogy. It makes you stronger, faster, smarter, and more powerful than an ordinary human. If you don't die unnaturally, you'll live longer too. Everything that plays in our world has something special. Xander is an ordinary human, but brave enough to take up the sword or rocket launcher when needed. He likes women that are already of this world, like me. Our children would inherit bravery and skill and move up the power ladder. It's the way of the world." Anya smiled. "So bite her. Do you need us to turn away? Is it a privacy thing? Xander's been explaining boundaries to me."

"Not clearly enough." Giles muttered and glared at Xander for a second.

"Leave it be, G Man. I'm trying." Xander scooted back into the couch. "After all, I'm not special like you."

"Do not call me that, or denigrate yourself again." Giles took off his glasses and started polishing them furiously.

"We're getting off track. Anya still hasn't explained why she thinks the bite will work." Tara looked sternly at the others.

Oz watched the group for a moment. "Biting her won't make a difference. She's my Alpha. She accepted me."

"Was there a ceremony? Was there blood, or sex, or magic? Did the two of you actually speak binding words?" Anya frowned at Oz.

"There was dancing, and I live with her. She accepts me."

"You're easy to accept. You're strong and good-looking in your way, and you have power. She's changed a bit with the things you have done, just enough to make her vulnerable. Most things are when they're in between."

"In between?" Oz raised an eyebrow.

"Buffy is becoming an Alpha. She'd find a way to do it on her own if she could. It's what makes her so damn scary to the demon world. She thinks on her feet and her vulnerabilities become strengths. There were huge betting pools on how quickly she would die, a slayer with friends, one that loves. Most demons were sure she'd be gone in hours. Then she came back from the dead and the whole betting system was blown." Anya looked away wistfully.

"You need to explain this theory more clearly. Or what's the point in hurting her?" Tara looked up at Anya.

"Slayers are interesting creatures. I've avoided them for the most part, but I knew one, briefly." Anya smiled. "She was golden, tall, violence in motion. Her companion was a tiny man, a monk of some kind, not a watcher by title. He treated her poorly. They lived outside our village for a summer. She worked any job in the town for the things they needed. She slept on a pallet outside the hut. He beat her every morning. He said it was to purify her, but we all knew he enjoyed it." She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Ahn." Xander scooted along the floor until he rested most of his body against her legs.

"You knew one of the lost slayers. You'll have to give us as much detail as possible. It's amazing." Giles leaned towards Anya eagerly.

"Not now." Oz snarled. "Buffy's needs come first."

"One morning she didn't make it back to his hut. She was found, still breathing, but the bite marks were horrendous. It took her nine days to heal. For three months, the full moon never pulled her, but she would run through the forest on those nights laughing, fully human. Then during one of his purifications, the little monk took her eye with the whip's metal tipped lash. She howled in pain and bit him when he dumped water on her to wash away the blood. He changed with the next moon. She never changed, but she was a carrier. Look, I know it's a risk, but it's a good one."

"I think it's worth a try. It feels like a risk Buffy would choose to take." Giles rubbed his hand across his forehead.

Oz nodded. "I don't know how to do this. Should there be blood or magic, witnesses? What's best? Is there someplace I should bite her? I can feel her getting weaker. So, it's humus time I guess."

Xander snorted and Giles looked pained.

"Hummus, indeed."

"I don't think you need magic or ceremony. She's already half the way there. Let yourself feel the power and bite her where your instinct demands." Tara touched him on the shoulder for a second. "We'll wait outside."

Oz grimaced as they left. He accepted his wolf, now, but biting her in this clinical way held no appeal. He wanted her clinging to him and biting back. He ripped the halter top from around her neck and stared at the scar Angel had left behind. He closed his eyes feeling the wolf surge forward as he lowered his head to her neck to nuzzle his face against the scar. He pulled away, holding her tightly, resting his face next to hers.

"I am yours, Buffy. I will never leave you. Accept me." He whispered against her ear. Then he let the wolf take him over. He felt his teeth explode as his jaw slightly elongated and he licked along her neck, several times. He opened his mouth over the scar and rested his teeth on her skin pressing down a bit, but not breaking her skin. Thoughts of their sweet kisses pressed in on him. He thought of Angel's mark, the one he was going to obliterate. He growled and bit down, letting her blood flow on his tongue, sweet and metallic.

Buffy's good hand suddenly darted up and grabbed him. She pushed herself around on his body as he lapped at her still bleeding neck. Suddenly she thrust him back against the couch.

"You are mine, Oz." she ripped the neck of his tee shirt and bit his neck. Her human teeth were not designed for this purpose, so she pressed harder until she felt his skin give in to her onslaught.

Oz trembled and felt his whole body strain towards her, his blood flowing into her. Her scent swirled around them both, her arousal hot in his nostrils. He felt her body go over as she let his neck go and screamed her release.

They were both sweat drenched as she collapsed against him. She shook her injured hand and the bag fell to the ground. He kissed her on the lips, softly. She pushed away from him to stare into his eyes.

"I love you, Oz."

"It's entirely mutual, Buffy."


	12. Chapter 12

Willow stormed around her apartment. She was so angry. They had taken her books, all of her carefully acquired spell books. Giles wouldn't give them back anytime soon unless Buffy told him to do it. How was she going to get Buffy to do that after tonight's fiasco? Buffy was going to play the anti magic party line. Cookies wouldn't fix this.

She needed to get Buffy happy fast. A happy Buffy usually equaled an easily persuaded Buffy, an easily distracted Buffy. The others would be happy again if she could just figure this out. She pressed her fists against her head, fighting the urge to scream. Buffy needed to be happy, so she could be happy again. She rubbed her head and paced trying to focus and think. The apartment felt to small, so she headed off to campus still lost in thought.

Riley found Willow walking in front of Lowell House, and smiled to himself. He'd been looking for a way to get back into Buffy's good graces after screwing up her patrol last night, and Willow was just the girl to help him.

"Willow, what's up?" He jogged to her, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice her tearstained face. "I screwed up with Buffy. I didn't even get to give her the earrings we found."

Willow cast a quick glamour to hide the mess of her face, and looked up at him. Buffy had been giddy around him for a bit last year. Things had gone sideways with the whole Adam situation, but Buffy needed just this kind of attention. She looked at his hopeful, pleading face and latched onto his arm.

"Well, aren't we the pair. She's pretty angry with me over a spell that went wrong. She got hurt. She should have given me all the facts, but I understand her being upset. Maybe we can help each other out?" Willow let her lower lip tremble a bit and used her best puppy dog eyes on him.

"You're her best friend. She won't stay mad at you for long. Buffy doesn't hold a grudge, but I'll help anyway I can." He nodded happily.

"So, we need to come up with a plan that gets you back tight with Buffy. She really likes you, so it shouldn't be hard." Willow squeezed his arm. "In fact my screw up can be used to fix yours. I'll bet. Buffy got hurt tonight. You could take over the earrings, along with some flowers, and maybe even some soup tell her you heard about her collapsing at the Bronze and were worried. She'll eat that up."

"What happened tonight? Was she badly hurt?" Riley looked down at Willow, eager for details.

"She's the slayer. It wasn't that bad." Willow assured him. "I'm sure she'll be right as rain in a few days."

"Days? What did you do?"

"I was trying to protect Tara. I didn't have all the facts, so I overdid it. I feel really bad that Buffy got hurt, but none of us have all of her powers to rely on." Willow eased up on the glamour, letting Riley see her face.

"It is easier for her. I've seen her trade punches with vampires for fun. She likes a good brawl. Even on those damn drugs I wasn't fast enough or strong enough to take her." He looked unhappily ahead of them.

"She's the best slayer in a long time. Don't feel bad. I bet you could have taken Kendra." Willow patted his arm reassuringly.

"Kendra?"

"She was the slayer called when Buffy died." Willow looked across the campus. "There's only supposed to be one girl at a time, but now there are two."

"I thought that was Faith. Buffy told me a little about Faith." Riley grimaced and looked down at the sidewalk.

"Kendra didn't last long. Drusilla, a crazy, vampire childe of Angelus, took her out because Buffy fell for one of Angelus' tricks. Buffy doesn't like to talk about her." Willow shrugged. "It's hard on her, when she fails. Every life Angelus took she counts as a personal failure."

"Do you know how the calling thing works? I mean, it sounds so strange. Why girls? Wouldn't men have made more sense?" Riley looked at Willow. "Why can't Buffy just retire?"

"Giles is the better source for your information, but he won't talk about it much. He just gets this distant look in his eyes and usually winds up drinking. I would bet Angel knows some, but he won't talk either, and the reaction is scarier. Oh, if you really want slayer info, Spike could help. He used to hunt them, so he probably made a study. He isn't half as silly as he wants everyone to think."

"I can't really see myself going to Spike for information on my girl's calling. It would be a little strange." He grinned and shook his head sheepishly. "I'll walk you home."


	13. Chapter 13

Giles groaned when he heard the knock at his door. He had been about to turn in and find some much needed rest. Oz had taken Buffy home and the others had left. He walked toward the door and opened it. Wesley, Cordelia, and Angel stood on his front step.

"You couldn't call first?" He smirked as the humans stalked past him into his home. He looked at Angel and raised a brow. "I haven't revoked your invitation."

"I'm sorry we didn't call, but I thought better of it. I think our phone lines may not be the safest for us right now." Angel explained never looking directly at Giles as he glided into the living room.

"I've had quite enough drama for the time being, shall we cut to the chase." Giles glared at Angel as he sniffed the air.

"Faith has been taken from the state prison. She didn't go willingly." Wes twisted his hands together. "I talked to the warden and several of the witnesses. It could have been a council wet team."

Giles sat down and felt the pain sweep through him. "Is she dead?"

"No, I don't think so. Two hours ago I felt something tear in our connection, but before I could analyze it or even think about it, it returned to normal." Wes looked away from them. "I know I'm her watcher, or at least the last one she had, but our bond is painful to me. I've spent a great deal of time trying to eliminate it."

"It's understandable. She tortured you, but you should have called and talked to me. There are a few other retired watchers in this country. One of them might have been persuaded to take her on without involving the Council. She needs care, especiaaly in her circumstances. Do you have any idea of her condition at the moment?"

Wesley closed his eyes. "It feels like it did when she was in the coma. I can feel it, but it's dormant."

"Well, work on building it. Try to forgive her, stand on your head and chant if you feel the need, but fix this. You took an oath to her." Giles stood and started to pace.

"How badly was Buffy hurt tonight?" Angel stepped in his path. "I can smell recent magic and blood, her blood. What happened?"

"Do you really feel you are entitled to that information?" Giles glared at the vampire.

"What if the incidents are related?" Cordelia asked, trying to break up the tension between the two.

Giles turned toward her and smiled. She looked exhausted. "I can say with some authority that what happened to Buffy had nothing to do with Faith's disappearance. Why don't you go lie down on the bed?" He gestured toward his bedroom.

"You wouldn't mind?" He watched as she rubbed her head again.

"No, I think you need it, my dear." He smiled and she flung herself into his arms for a second before climbing the stairs to the loft.

"What happened to Buffy? How can you be so sure that it's unrelated?" Angel hatted having to ask, having to remain on the outside.

"There was an incident. Things are changing in their group dynamic. I don't want to downplay the incident, but while significant to our lives, it will change very little for the rest of the world." Giles looked out the window and smiled for a moment.

"Is she okay?" Angel sat down by the desk and stared at the floor.

Giles felt his first twinge of sympathy toward the vampire in many years. "She is quite well. I imagine she's asleep and recovering quite nicely by now. Since you shall see her soon, you should reserve your questions for her. I will not abuse her privacy."


	14. Chapter 14

For the second morning in a row Oz woke up beneath the warm body of his alpha. He paused for a moment, still, even in his thoughts as it rang through him. She was his mate. His mate, he had dreamed of her, he had hoped for this, but the reality was so much more. He let out a breath, and smiled. Buffy nuzzled into his chest, her hand rubbed his side for a second, but she didn't wake.

Oz slid his fingers through Buffy's hair, enjoying the silky feel as it curled and twisted around his fingers. Music formed and reformed in his mind. She sighed and the notes changed a bit. Her deep, even breathing resumed forming the base line in his mind. He smiled at the ceiling. She was living music to him, in everything she did. There could be no better feeling than waking up with Buffy sprawled on top of him. Well, he'd take naked in a bed over clothed on the futon, but he didn't want to rush. He had been home less than a week, and he had already gained more than he expected when he had decided to return. They were speeding through this courtship, as it was, each day bringing them closer. He reveled in it. Each moment they shared was a treasure for him and, he hoped for her. She deserved for this time to be special.

He fingered the small raised scars that had formed on her skin through the night, his bite, the symbol of her acceptance of him. He closed his eyes tightly. He hoped that the scars would bring her joy. He had taken the mark of her first love from her, obliterated it with his own. Tara had told him to let his instincts guide him, but he hoped his need to somehow undo that mark didn't hurt her. He took in her scent, breathing deeply. It had changed slightly through the night, altered, blending with his. She smelled of cinnamon and the first frost.

She shifted and pressed up, blinking her eyes. She grinned at him and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. She pushed back his hair from his neck and looked at the scars that had formed where she had bitten him. He watched he as she traced the mark with her finger.

"I should feel guilty or ashamed about this, but I can't. I look at it and all I can feel is happy. You are mine." She lowered her forehead to touch his. "I want all of you. I want you body, mind, heart and soul."

He hummed a touch of the tune, Heart and Soul, and stared into her eyes as she giggled. Her laughter was intoxicating. She dropped her body on to his and hugged him to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to the side of her face. She slid her body along his and he growled low in his throat, caught in the flush of her desire.

She bent her head to his neck and kissed his scar.

"I'm so glad you're mine." She grinned at him.

"I love being yours." His fingers played through her hair. "I love that you're mine. I'm reeling a bit, I admit." He glared at her as she giggled at his rhyming. "I wanted to do this right for you, to go slow, to court you, but everything is so right it's hard to slow down."

"I don't want to slow down." She pushed her lower lip out at him.

"I don't want to slow this down either, but I worry that less than a week from fated to mated might not meet your human needs."

"You think too damn much, Oz. I bit you last night. I knew what I was doing. I want this, want to be yours, want you to be mine. I figured it out months ago with slayer dreams. I'm about as human as you are, I just don't get furry." She straddled his hips and sat up. "There is nothing fast about this."

He cocked a brow and smiled when he saw her realize what she was feeling as she shifted on his body. He loved the blush that climbed her cheeks as she looked down at his chest. He slid his hands to her thighs and rubbed them.

"Buffy, I love you and the deal is done for us. The scars are there, healed. Our scents have changed. I imagine there will be other changes we'll notice. Yes, there is one more step, but I wanted you to have the human things first. Is that so wrong?"

"Do you just want them for me or do they mean something to you as well?" Her fingers traced along his face.

"I want them. I want to plan our first date. I want to hold hands at the movies. I want to watch you dance in the crowd while I play music inspired by the very hips moving to it. I want the romance and the need. I want to watch your face when I ask you to marry me. We both know it's coming, but I want every special thing."

Buffy bent down and kissed him. Letting her tears fall on to him as she wreaked havoc on his senses. He opened his mouth under hers and suddenly they were feasting on each other, their tongues dueling. Her hands pushed his shirt up exposing the expanse of his chest. He groaned as she flicked her fingernails over his nipples. She broke the kiss and pushed up from his upper body.

"We'll do both. So, there's a social convention. We are not conventional people. I want to do the romance along with the happily ever after part."

"Okay, concurrent happinesses, but I want to wait on the final step of mating for a bit."

"Define a bit." She looked at him intently.

"I'd rather let that be a surprise. I'd like to do a little seducing here." He smiled at her.

"Already seduced. I don't need the romance. I need you." She pulled him up into a hug. "I'd like the romance though. I'll let you set the pace and make it special if you keep one thing in mind."

He nodded his head against her.

"We are never sleeping apart again." She growled out the sentence. "I'd like to make it to our bed tonight even if we only sleep."

Oz pulled her to him and set his lips to work worshipping her face and neck. He was contemplating the romance of carrying her back to their bed where he had never slept when the phone rang.

Buffy cursed under her breath and reached for the phone on the end table. "This had better be really good." She pushed herself off his lap and started to pace as she listened. "We'll be there in twenty to thirty, Giles."

Oz got up and caught her in a quick hug as he tossed the phone down on the futon. He felt her shake for a second before she melted into him.

"Some group kidnapped Faith from prison. So, time to circle the wagons for our safety and to plan the rescue."


	15. Chapter 15

Buffy grabbed Oz before they went into Giles' place. "Angel's in there. If it gets ugly, let me deal with it. I'd like to minimize his pain, but not if it hurts you in any way."

"It's okay." He kissed her and drew her scent into his body. "The shirt might have been a bad choice if you were planning to spare him pain."

Buffy caressed the scar from Oz's bite. "I'm proud of us and of being yours. I won't hide it. I said minimize his pain not cater to his whiny broodiness."

She pulled him to her and kissed him fiercely. She broke the kiss and licked and nibbled at his lips. "You are mine." She playfully growled at him.

They went through the door with her laughing at his stoic expression. "Giles, we're here."

"It's a small space, Buffy. There's no need to announce yourself." He smiled at her. "How is your hand? Any lingering problems?"

"Not even a scar." She held up her hand for inspection.

"Well, you can't really say that." Oz deadpanned from behind her and grinned when she whirled around and stuck her tongue out at him. He tilted his head and winked at her as she giggled.

"Buffy, It's good to see you" Angel emerged from the darkened hallway.

"It's nice to see you as well, Angel. I wish it were under better circumstances." She stepped back toward Oz. "So what do we know?" She looked to Giles.

"Very little. Wes is meditating and trying to reach her through what remains of their bond. Cordelia headed out to get some sun and to purchase supplies for my guests."

Giles reached out and Buffy held his hand for a moment.

"So, Angel, you will be moving to the mansion at sundown, I mean this little place can't fit you, Wes, and Cordy. I'd prefer we use our place as command central. If you don't mind Giles, keeps the unnecessary interruptions of research to a minimum."

Giles watched as she removed Angel from him as much as possible even settling herself between them, as a physical barrier. Oz took a wider route around the room and wound up standing slightly behind him and to his side, a show of solidarity.

Angel watched Buffy holding Giles' hand and took a deep breath. He took another and looked at Buffy with a strange expression riding his face.

"Won't Joyce find it disturbing to have everyone traipsing in and out of there?" Angel asked as he continued watching Buffy.

"I don't live with Mom. Spike stays in her basement and keeps her safe. They watch Passions together. It seems really strange, but they both seem fairly happy. There has been a lot less damage to the house since I moved out. We've got a nice place, near my day job at the dojo."

"You're working? I thought you were going to school. You're too smart to quit school. What is going on here?" Angel started to step toward Buffy and Oz growled. It was a deep, menacing sound that actually stopped Angel long enough for Buffy to step in front of him.

"I am going to school. Fall classes start next week, but I'm taking a lighter load, so I can pay real attention to my destiny and my life. I want the degree, and I'll get it. I love my job. I get to teach several different kinds of classes. It works for me. The one thing all this has in common is that none of it is any of your business. Do I make myself clear?" Buffy advanced a step toward the vampire.

Angel glared down at her. "I left here so you could have a life, so it is my business."

"No, the important words in your little tirade there were the first two. The rest doesn't matter at all." She stepped toward him again.

Oz growled and stepped forward as well.

"Your scent is off. Something is wrong. Giles won't tell me anything. Some sort of commando squad has kidnapped Faith. It is my business, all of it." Buffy stepped back and he watched as she looked at Oz for a moment. The werewolf tilted his head and nodded then stepped back.

"I had a really hard time balancing everything last year and Giles and I are working on my skills. I needed a job with flexibility to pay for off campus housing because I didn't want to run the risk of a demonic roommate. Now there are some of your answers, back off." She pressed her hand against his chest and shoved him back.

"It doesn't explain the scent change, Buffy."

"I'm living with Oz, Angel. That's why my scent is different. It has changed."

"You guys are sharing an apartment." He settled back and smiled. "It's good to know you have some protection."

Giles leaned back into the couch, looked at Angel, and shook his head. "No fool like an old fool."

Angel caught the watcher's muttered comment and turned back to examine Buffy closely once more. His eyes traced over her body. He reached out to touch her and Oz growled stepping forward.

"Do we have protection, Oz?" Buffy turned to him giving her back to Angel. She grinned at her mate and touched the scar riding above her collarbone. Giles chuckled and covered it with a cough.

Angel grabbed Buffy's shoulder and spun her to face him. She growled and hit him with a right cross and a quick jab.

"You don't touch me." She growled again. "I did not give you leave to do so, and you have no right to me."

Angel's face shifted. His glowing golden gaze meeting her stormy one. "You gave me the right when you chose to save me. You carry my right on your skin."

"Not anymore. You don't even see me. You never did. You love the cause, not me. I'm not your redemption, Angel. I never will be." She pulled the scoop neck of her tee even further from the scar. "I'm off the market."

Angel's eyes traced along the contours of the unfamiliar scar she revealed. It had obliterated his mark, and she wore it proudly. She stepped back and held her hand out to Oz. He joined her in one stride. He slid his hand into hers and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry, Angel. I didn't want to tell you like this. I didn't want to hurt you. I do love you as a friend. I hope that's enough for you."

He shook off his vampiric face and looked at Oz and Buffy holding hands. He looked at Oz. Their gazes met and held for a moment. Angel stalked across the room and disappeared into the loft.


	16. Chapter 16

Oz leaned over to Buffy and kissed her, just a soft press of their lips. He felt the moment the guilt hit her, and he helped her to the couch next to Giles. She shook silently and tears ran down her face. Oz motioned to Giles and watched as she crumbled against her watcher as he tried to comfort her.

"I was so mean. I'm so happy and I just took everything away from him. Oz leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"I'll talk to him. Probably should have done that from the start. I have a bit less of a temper on me." He felt the tightness in his chest evaporate as she looked up at him; big red eyes and water logged half smile. He bent down and kissed her quickly on the lips.

Walking away from her to talk to her first love, to somehow make this right for her seemed to be a kind of insanity. The wolf inside him demanded he make his mate happy. He looked into the room and found Angel kneeling on the floor with his head pressed into the mattress.

"Angel, I should have talked to you man to man or monster to monster before I left Los Angeles. I knew I was coming home to Buffy and the gang. They're my pack. Love them even when I hate them. Same as you." Oz stepped further into the room.

Angel pushed up and sat on the bed. "It wouldn't have mattered. I wouldn't have heard you. I lost her when I lost my soul."

Oz sat in the chair by the armoire. He tilted his head, waiting for the reticent vampire to fill the quiet.

"I tortured the lot of you. Do you know what I did to Giles? The scope of it terrifies me. The torture was the least of it. Killing his love, arranging her here in a romantic tableau for him to find, I'll never understand how he lives here still. He's told me that what I did to him was next to nothing compared to what I did to her. I know it's true because everything I did to all of you was done to her. I also know she's never told anyone everything I did to her. She couldn't have or I would never have survived coming back."

"I'm sure indulging in this little guilt fest is helping feed your broodiness, but my mate is sobbing because she hurt you. I need you to pull it together for her. If you love her, be the man she's always believed you are." Oz's voice was even and mild, despite the rage beating within him. "You left her to free her to have a normal life with time in the sun. I guarantee there will be plenty of it. Life and sunshine, maybe children if she wants, I'll give it all to her, but you have to give her a break from the guilt and find a way to live."

Angel looked at Oz and smiled. "How is it that you and I are here talking instead of standing quietly in the background?"

Oz shrugged and raised an eyebrow. Angel chuckled sadly and shook his head. "She has a type."


	17. Chapter 17

Willow watched as Tara threw her clothing into a black trash bag. She had tried everything to stop her, but Tara had called over to Giles' place a few minutes ago. Buffy was on her way to help Tara leave.

The anger was surging through her in waves. Her friend was coming to steal away her love. Willow paced, her voice was gone from begging. So, she had tried to force Tara to stay with magic, couldn't she just be happy that she was loved?

Why were they all ganging up on her?

Oz came back. Buffy was keeping secrets. Xander and Anya stole her spell books. Tara was leaving her. They were all crazy. She was still just Willow. She'd done one little spell that did no real damage. They were punishing her for nothing.

"I'll let you know where I'm going to be. I want to work on this with you. I want to help you. I want my Willow back." Tara stared at her lover with sad eyes.

"I'm right here. I haven't gone anywhere." Willow started to pace around the room. "I made a mistake. I used a computer translator. I never knew it was a killing spell."

"Does that make it better in your eyes? Your best friend could have died because you rushed into a spell without making sure the spell was safe, and it's okay because you didn't mean it?" Tara rubbed both hands along her face in frustration.

"If Buffy had just told me the truth, she would never have been in any danger. I wouldn't have done the spell at all, and she'd be off reuniting with Riley."

"She doesn't want Riley back. She's got her future pretty planned out, and you don't have a clue because you're refusing to see what's going on. The dark magic can turn you. It can and will destroy you if you don't respect it. Giles could wreck the world if he wanted to and he won't even float a teacup. Does that tell you something?"

"Giles made bad choices along time ago and I have to be punished for them? Does that sound right to you?" Willow stopped pacing and planted her fists on her hips. "Giles and Buffy, Xander and Anya, Oz, they're all you ever talk about. You aren't even a real Scooby. You're included because of me. You're my girlfriend."

"I'm your girlfriend. The woman you love and ten minutes ago you tried to paralyze me so I couldn't leave. That's a problem. I love being your girl, not your possession." Tara scrubbed at the tears sliding down her face.

"I'll never use magic on you again. I promise." Willow dropped to her knees before Tara and hugged her legs. "Please don't go."

Tara ran her hands through Willow's hair and let her tears fall. "We'll see how things go. I want to be here, but I need to have free will."

Willow whirled to face the door as it opened to reveal Buffy and Angel. Her green eyes swirled black and she started to chant. Buffy leapt across the space and punched her in the chin in one swift movement. She felt the spell dissipate as it tingled along her skin. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.

Angel picked up Willow's limp form and placed her on the bed with tender care. "She's still all heart. The darkness hasn't taken her over completely. The mind is easy to seduce, but a fierce heart like hers will fight." He looked at Tara. "You'll get her back. It won't be easy for any of you, but you've got to believe in a heart like hers."

"Wow, Angel, did you hurt yourself?" Buffy smirked at him tossing her hair back over her shoulder. "Tara, may I present Angel. Angel, this is our Tara."

Angel half bowed toward the blonde witch and smiled when she blushed. "Tell me what needs to be taken to the van.

"Oz let you drive?" Tara looked at Buffy with alarm flashing in her eyes.

"No, he traded keys with Angel since we needed the van and he had to get to band practice." She grimaced.

"Has he seen your motorcycle?" Tara asked with a chuckle.

"No. I haven't taken him down to the storage space yet, and I haven't needed it. I think I'll take him for a picnic on it this weekend."

"You have a motorcycle?" Angel turned panicked eyes toward the blonde women. "Does Giles know?"

"He taught me to ride, so yeah." Buffy smiled. "It moves like an extension of me. I love it. Well, let's get all this stuff packed up before Will comes around. You can have the spare room. I'll get Oz's stuff out when we get over there."

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Tara worried her lip with her teeth.

"I won't let this get her, but it's going to be a fight. I have to put keeping you safe from her over saving her." Buffy reached out to touch Tara's hand. "You will not lose her to this. We got him back from hell, and look at Spike and Anya. They make the right choices now. Let's get a move on. We need to get to Faith."


	18. Chapter 18

Faith awakened in a white cell with a glass wall. Her eyes refused to focus clearly. She closed her them and tried to reach out with her other senses. She felt the bond with Wesley pulse and scrambled toward it with her essence. She pulled at the link and wrapped his power around her as a shield. She felt guilt surge through her for using him, but her fear wouldn't allow her to let the gentle tether go.

The glass doors opened. She forced her eyes wide, a defiant glint their brown depths. Faith stilled her trembling. There were rules she followed. The first was never show weakness.

The familiar form of B's boy toy towered over her. He let his gaze slide up and down her body, mockingly.

"Nice to meet you again, Faith." Three doctors stood behind him. "You are going to play nice or you are going to be restrained. I'd really like to restrain you, but it's up to you." He shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I'll play, and maybe we can use those restraints later?" Faith forced the aggressive response from between her lips. "Does B know you've gone kinky?"

She made no move to keep his fist from slamming into her mouth. The pain bloomed inside her. She let the blood trickle down from her mouth. She noted the lab coat-wearing monkeys looking away from her.

"You don't talk about her."

"Oh," she turned her voice sweet. "Trouble in the Dream House? Did Barbie break up with Ken?" She caught the punch this time. "You got one free, the rest are going to cost you."

She tossed him across the cell, but didn't try to escape. She turned to the doctors. "Keep him away from me, and I'll comply for awhile. No promises. I'm not a nice girl, but I don't want him anywhere near me."

Inside she curled further into Wesley's power. It felt warm and comforting like late afternoon sunshine. She let her mind work over her situation as they drew blood and took her temperature. She found herself praying B was coming for her with an army of her own.


	19. Chapter 19

Oz opened the door to his home to see his mate standing in the center of chaos. Giles was arguing with Wes at the bar Angel was brooding by the punching bag. Xander and Anya were sprawled across the futon. Joyce and Spike were in the kitchen dishing out enough food for a group ten times larger than this. Buffy stood in the center of it all talking to Cordelia and Tara. He blinked his eyes for a moment and watched as she turned and ran to him.

"You're home. How was practice? Did you miss me? When do you guys play the Bronze?" He kissed her to stop the flow of questions. The cacophony died a moment later as the group watched them. He deepened the kiss and smiled against her lips. When Spike whistled at them, she broke the kiss and rubbed her forehead against his affectionately.

"Good. Yes. Next Friday." He smiled at her. "Scooby meeting?"

"Wes thinks Faith is near here. He can feel her pulling his power through the bond. She's scared. He's rather proud to be able to sense any of it. Tara's settled into the spare room and your stuff is in ours. We haven't talked about Willow. I had to tell Mom without you. Spike could smell the change and can't help being obnoxious." He held her in the circle of his arms, listened to her, and thought about the fact that he was sharing a room with Buffy, sharing a bed with Buffy. He looked over his pack and wanted to kick them all out.

"How did your mom take the news?" He traced her scar with his finger.

"She's strangely okay with it." Buffy let her eyes wander to her mother. "I guess shagging Spike has been good for her."

"My in laws include a Watcher, trained to kill me in about a thousand ways, a human that makes the watcher duck behind corners in fear, a vampire that has decided being a white hat is more appealing because he can't kill humans anymore, this extended mix of craziness, and Hank Summers. I must really love you. I mean Hank Summers." He shuddered, tilted his head and grinned at her.

"You love it." She pushed him away laughing.

"No, right now, I'm not too fond of it, but I love you." He kisses her ignoring Spike's lewd suggestions and the rest of their audible reactions.

Buffy giggles against his lips and hugs him tightly to her before pulling away from him. "Time to work.'

"To everything there is a season." He sings under his breath as he watches her walk toward the giant beanbag.

"Okay, get your snickering out of the way. I'm calling this meeting back to order." Buffy raised her voice. "We need to talk about Willow."

Oz watched the regularly ebullient crowd sink. He walked over to Buffy, leaning against the wall next to the beanbag as she settled into it. Even sitting in the silly chair like object she looked regal and in control.

Giles coughed to clear his throat. "Willow has been studying some very dark areas of magic. We confiscated several texts. I can only hope we have them all. I think the spell she worked recently has infected her. Her temper will be volatile. She's dangerous and her ability to reason has been compromised."

"On the upside, she thinks we've all betrayed her and might decide to attack without provocation." Xander chimed in.

The knock at the door startled everyone. Angel strode to the door and wrenched it open to reveal Riley with a large bouquet of flowers.

"Won't this be delightful," Spike enthused. "The gang's all here." Joyce elbowed him in the gut and glared at him for a moment. He shrugged and smirked. "I am still a demon. This is still funny."

"Is Buffy hurt that badly? Willow said it wasn't that bad. I've never seen you all together like this." He stepped through the door and Buffy growled. Oz stepped forward and looked at her. She shrugged, not knowing why she had responded to his presence in such a way.

"I'm fine, Riley. We had a little bit of bother last night, but we're all here to um plan an event. She looked at Angel who was closest to the door.

"Let me take those. It is really very nice of you to think of Buffy as she's none of your business anymore." Angel glared at Riley.

"Angel, be nice. He's our guest. Mom and Spike cooked. Would you like something to eat?" She had retreated into appropriate behavior Buffy mode. Even Spike fell into line.

"Made a stuffed pork roast and a curry. Joyce made the veg and the dessert. It's all there we were just gonna eat buffet style." Spike motioned to the counter.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude." Riley watched the group. "There must be a pretty big bad coming down the pipe if you are all here."

"Actually, we're planning my wedding." Joyce held up her hand, displaying an antique ring. She reached behind her and pulled Spike to her side. "We need their help. Mystical marriages can be difficult."

Riley's head swung to Buffy. "You're okay with this?"

"They've been living together for quite a while. They're in love. It's okay. Spike's good for Mom. I know he'll keep her safe." Buffy looked at the couple. Her Mom was beaming and Spike looked down bashfully. "I'll be the first slayer with an undead step father."

"Thanks for the flowers." She smiled, but she wanted him out the door. Her instincts were pushing at her to attack him. Her slayer sense categorized him as a threat.

"I was hoping to see you again. Maybe, uhm."

"She's off the market." Angel said clearly.

"Oh. How's that umm. Okay, so not my business." Riley looked at Buffy with sad eyes. "I bought you these earrings. You ought to have them." He tried to put the box in her hand.

"I can't accept your gift, Riley. Thank you for thinking of me, but Angel is right. I am off the market and very happily so." Buffy stepped back toward Oz.

He smiled at her sadly then ducked out the door, closing it behind him. She took several deep breaths to calm herself. "Get those flowers out of my house." She shivered and squirmed about for a bit. "Something is wrong there, too. So, now we have Faith going missing, Willow going dark side, the Initiative part two, and my mom's marrying Spike. Way to let me know, Mom."

Oz smiled as the room erupted with sound. This meeting was going to take a while. He sat on the beanbag and closed his eyes trying to figure out what he had smelled about Riley that had been wrong.


	20. Chapter 20

Riley seethed as he strode back towards campus. Buffy was surrounded by her faithful Scoobies and off the market with her vampire again. He thought of that thing touching the flowers he had bought for Buffy. She didn't even look at them. He thought of Joyce standing in the circle of Hostile 17's arms and he wanted to hit things. Mother and daughter were both freaks, at least Buffy hadn't been all touchy feely with her undead lover. Maybe there were some troubles there. Buffy might not be as off the market as Angel wanted her to be. He grinned at the thought of stealing her back from Angel. He'd get Willow to help him. She hadn't been there, so she must have a problem with the new relationship. She could have taken the damn earrings. At least his mission would have been furthered. Now, he had to return to base having failed, but they'd be busy with the other slayer for a few days. He had plenty of time to plan and maybe he'd look in on Faith again. He smiled as he walked into the frat house and headed straight to the elevator.

Faith was strapped down. She'd broken one of the new recruits arms when they'd brought in restraints, and two more were nursing concussions in the infirmary. Riley liked seeing her helpless, watching the tears run across her skin into her hair. She had ruined his life with Buffy. She was finally getting her due. He smiled and entered her cell.

"I guess you forgot to be a good little slayer." He flashed her a taunting smile and ran his fingers along the bare skin of her leg. "But you never were a very good slayer, were you? Nothing like Buffy."

"You didn't notice a difference, so we must not be too far apart. Sides of the coin, I would imagine." She stared straight ahead because they had strapped her down so completely she couldn't even move her head. "In fact you declared your love for Buffy to me after you got off, so, not very different at all."

He pinched her thigh, twisting his fingers as he did so. "You're at my mercy now. Maybe you should keep that in mind." He pinched her again, and was shocked when she laughed, a loud crack of sound reverberating around the room.

"Does it make you feel like a man to hurt the little girls that can't fight back? Go right ahead indulge your kink. I've got slayer healing, and I like pain. Bring it." Faith forced a saucy smile to her face, and curled further into Wesley's power. She felt him reaching toward her, sensing her pain and fear now. She closed her eyes trying to block out her situation.

"You may heal, but you'll never be a slayer again." Riley brought his fist down on her stomach, and bent over her face. Their eyes locked as hers flew open. "Your just a lab rat now. It's all you'll ever be now." He turned and left the room.


	21. Chapter 21

Buffy walked around the small glass and white room and looked for the exit. She turned to Faith, huddled in the corner with a Navy blanket pulled tight around her. It looked like on of the cells in the Initiative compound. The small frightened sounds coming from the other slayer made her ache. She walked over and crouched next to Faith, trailing her fingers through the other slayers hair. Faith looked up at her.

"You're here, but he said you wouldn't come." Faith flung herself into Buffy's arms and sobbed. "I wish it could be like usual. I like it when you come see me. I feel like a person again."

"I'm glad you like it when I come see you, Faith, but this is different. Why are we here?" Buffy soothed the shaking woman and wrapped her arms around her. The blanket smelled of books, tea, and the horrible cologne Wesley favored. Buffy wrinkled her nose.

"They have me here, but I don't know where here is. I wish we were in the cemetery fighting vampires."

Suddenly the two slayers were in Restview Cemetery fighting back to back against two newly risen vamps. They moved easily sweeping the vamps legs and plunging their stakes home in mirrored movements.

"A dusty end," Faith sighed. "I miss this. I'm never going to hunt again. The toy soldier told me I'm a lab rat, never again a slayer." She pulled the blue blanket tightly around her and started to rock.

"Let's patrol and you can tell me about the toy soldier." Buffy smiled and held out a hand to her damaged sister, trying to keep her talking.

"He hurts me, the others don't see me. They only see your power. Take it back. I'm not strong enough to hold it. Take it and run." Faith grabbed Buffy's shoulders and collapsed against her again.

"I think we've spent enough time squabbling over things. I'll never take anything away from you, never again." Buffy held her and wished they were someplace warm and homey. The world shifted around them, and they were sitting on the table in the library of the high school. "I miss this place. It was sitting on the hell mouth and I still felt safe here."

"You have two now." Buffy looked down at Faith and found the other slayer touching the two necklaces around her neck. One was a pendant with a stone just like Giles signet ring and the other appeared to be a symbol she remembered studying with Willow. She couldn't quite pull the memory to her.

"I have a charm bracelet, too. See." Buffy held up her wrist and the charms shone in the light.

"I have this." Faith patted her blanket. "I'm still cold though."

Buffy looked at Faith and watched her shiver before she carefully unbuttoned her cardigan sweater. It was fuzzy and pink, something she would have worn when the library had existed in this form. She rubbed the soft fabric and smiled. "You have this as well. Put it on. It will help keep you warm."

Buffy helped Faith into the sweater and pulled the blanket back up around her shoulders. She pulled the other girl into her arms when the tremors started again. Faith clung to her.

"You are the source. They don't know. I won't tell them. I'll be a good slayer." Faith sounded like a traumatized child. "I'll be strong, so strong."

"Faith. You are strong. You can make it. We are coming for you. We will get you out of that place." Buffy held Faith's hands.

Suddenly lightening flared all around them like a cage. Faith shook like she was being electrocuted. Buffy screamed and tried to run to her. Suddenly Faith was there in front of her, turning her shoulders and pushing her towards the doors with circular windows.

"I'll be strong, Buffy. I'm a good slayer now." She rubbed her hand along the pink sweater and gripped the sweater and blanket together. "I can make it. You have to save the world. Go."

Buffy jerked, as she seemed to fall into her body. She was being rocked against Oz's body. She started to shake. He shushed her. "It was just a dream. You are okay."

"I know I am." She trailed her fingers along his face. "Faith's the one they are hurting. I'm pretty sure the Initiative has her."


	22. Chapter 22

Giles stood between his slayer and the door. He watched her pace, and waited for her to break for the door. He watched her knowing she would rush in where angels fear to tread for far less than the torture of her sister slayer.

Buffy stopped, closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. She reached out to Oz with her hand and he took it in his own. She held her other hand out to Giles. He quickly took her tiny hand in his. Soon the whole group stood around her in a circle joined by their hands. No words, no sounds broke through the moment. Buffy started to radiate with a warm, glowing golden light.

Giles felt the warmth of pure magic radiating from Buffy and shuddered. He looked around the circle and watched as each person felt her power hit him or her. She was claiming them. He saw the strange symbol appearing on Anya's arm, It looked to be something used in the worship of Hecate, but there were differences. He felt his skin heat where Eyghon's mark rode his skin. He wanted to rip his shirt and look upon it. He knew better than to break the circle. There was no fear, but he wondered at this ability. He would have to research.

The group sighed as her power pulled back from them. Giles watched as Xander and Anya sat upon the floor comparing their marks. Spike grabbed Joyce and kissed her spinning in a joyous circle. Cordelia walked over and sat next to Wes. They leaned against each other. Angel turned away from the group, his hand pressed over the mark. No one spoke. Tara looked at Buffy with wide eyes and reached out to her. Buffy walked over to her and hugged her. Oz followed her resting a hand on Buffy's shoulder.

Angel whirled toward Buffy and growled. "Why?" His voice broke the silence, a cry of rage and pain.

"You joined the circle. I didn't force you, but there is no opt out clause." Buffy stepped away from Oz and stood before Angel. "If you want to fight, let's take it outside."

"I don't want to fight." He stepped back from her. "I want this bond removed."

"No. Some of the others can go if they choose, but you are bound now, that mark ties your soul to you. Angelus is the biggest threat to my family, to you. This stops that. You are my family. I love you. I love them all." She swept her arm out indicating the others in the room. Her eyes flashed with blue fire.

"What am I? What are we all to you?" Angel looked at the ground in front of her.

"You are The Chosen. The Chosen of The Chosen, the anchors to my power, the weapons I call to the ready, and the family I have created. You are bound." Buffy's voice changed. It sounded as if hundreds of women were talking with her. "What was taken, I have reclaimed. Do you refuse me?"

"If I do?" He sneered at her.

"Your refuge is dust." Buffy looked at him with sadness. "I don't want that, but it is your choice." She finished in her own voice, alone.

He looked at the mark riding the inside of his wrist. He recognized the swirling patterns of Celtic art in it. He wanted it, wanted to belong to her, with her, but to have it and to always be lesser. He started when she touched him, sliding her hand over his mark.

"You are my family. Look around this room. They are your family. You will never be alone again. When the mortal among us pass, Spike will travel the centuries with you carrying on the mission, watching over our descendants. You will find happiness again, and it won't destroy or harm. This is a gift and a burden. There is always a price to pay with magic." Buffy looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, great so you're sticking me with Spike." He hugged her to his chest. She relaxed into him for a moment. Angel thought of his human life for a moment, remembering doing this very thing with his sister. He smiled, resting his head against Buffy's hair. "I get it, Buffy. It'll be okay."

Oz visibly relaxed. Suddenly the room erupted in sound and Buffy and Angel broke apart to join in the commotion. Buffy found herself in Oz's arms. She smiled meeting his gaze and kissed him quickly. He growled, low and deep and melded their lips together.

Giles cleared his throat and walked over to Angel. He extended his hand and hesitated for a moment before he clasped Angel's shoulder. "Buffy's rushed into something here." Giles gestured to his arm where Eyghon's mark had been replaced by Buffy's. "It makes those of us more inclined to caution uncomfortable, but, in this, I concede her point. You are better off bound to us all than struggling alone."

The two men looked at each other fully for the first time sin many years. "I'll never be able to undue what Angelus, what I wrought upon you."

"That has not been changed by this." Giles dropped his hand from Angel's shoulder. "But for her sake, we will continue as family."

Buffy clapped her hands, drawing the eyes of every person in the room. She stood in the circle of Oz's arms and looked at them slowly. "It didn't just happen to you. I pulled in Faith and Willow. Faith needs the strength and Willow needs the balance. I don't know how I did it. I know that it was something within me, not really a spell. If, after Willow and Faith are safe, any of you breathing members want the mark removed, we will talk."

"I can breathe, just don't need to do it." Spike called out jovially.

Joyce laid a finger across his lips. "Shut up, Spike." She grinned and kissed him.


	23. Chapter 23

Willow lay on her bed. She couldn't bring herself to leave the apartment. Tara had left with Buffy and Angel. Left her after she'd been knocked out by Buffy. Buffy was such a bitch for taking her Tara away. Willow blinked at the anger fueled thoughts running through her head. She closed her eyes and let the rage flow out of her. If she moved the rage controlled her. If she thought too long about anyone but Tara the rage controlled her. She felt the tears flowing down her face and wondered how she was going to get out of this predicament.

She'd spent years learning about magic, but she had been foolish. She wanted to be as powerful as Buffy. She wanted to save the world all on her own. Being the Slayer's pretty sidekick wasn't even very special anymore. Anya and Tara had joined the mission. She rubbed her head into the pillow that still smelled of Tara's perfume. She needed Buffy and Giles to save her, and she couldn't even think about them long enough to call and ask. She felt the hatred swelling up within her again. She took deep breaths and waited for the tide to roll out. She would have to wait for them.

Willow felt the back of her neck grow warm and rubbed it. She sat up and felt dizzy. The wash of magic spilled over her and she fell back against the pillows. She fought the foreign magic, trying to squirm away from it. It pulsed and burned as it coursed through her veins. She screamed in anger and fear. She could feel Buffy, somehow a part of the magic. The rage boiled over and her back bowed off the bed. She collapsed and the warmth spread through her body.

She panted waiting for it to run its course. It seemed like hours passed as she lay there sweating. When it was over, she tried to move. She seemed fine.

She sat up, walked to a mirror, and grabbed her red hair up in her fist. She could just make out the edges of some sort of mark. She felt the rage swell, but for the first time she was able to quell it.

She grabbed her bag and ran out the door. Her feet pounded down the steps. She needed to get to Buffy's before the darkness could overtake her again.


	24. Chapter 24

Faith tried to watch the lab-coated monsters roaming around her. They angled cameras at her and fastened electrodes to her without really seeing her. She knew what was coming they'd taken her away from the safe place with Buffy by testing the paddles on her. Her body ached, but visiting with Big Sis had boosted her slayer healing. She closed her eyes and felt both Buffy and Wes. They were both within her lending her power, trying to keep her safe. The two people she had hurt the most were trying to save her. She couldn't wrap her mind around it.

She understood Buffy coming to visit. There were debts between them. Buffy had tried to kill her. She had done so much worse to Buffy. Still, when B had shown up at the prison for the first time, there had been no discussion of the past. They had talked about the gang, the weather, and what Buffy could bring to make Faith's life easier. She had returned every other week since.

They still hadn't talked about the damage they had done to each other. Buffy chatted about the freedom of her motorcycle and the fear in Giles' eyes when she'd asked him to teach her to ride it. They'd talked about Xander's love affair with an ex demon, and how it had led to Buffy having her own place for the first time. They had talked about silly things and funny things. Faith had grown to love Buffy again, or perhaps to remember the love that jealousy had turned to hate.

Faith replayed her hours with B, using the memories to keep the fear in check. These human monsters were just like the ones in prison. They had chosen the wrong path and enjoyed the harm they caused on a certain level while justifying it on another. The one woman in the bunch shivered when she looked at Faith, but she hadn't even stopped taping the electrodes onto her chest with the little stickers.

Faith looked at her and decided to try a what would B do idea. "It hurts when they use the paddles on me. I know you're trying not to see me, but I'm still here. I'm a person." She watched the woman flinch. "I haven't always been a very good person, but I'm still trying."

"Gag her." Riley's voice cut through the small connection she'd been building. "This thing looks like a woman, but make no mistake, this is an HST. She'd gut you all."

"Your ex is fonder of gutting than me." Faith snarled at Riley. "When I hurt her vampire she carved me up real good. When I fucked you, she ran off to save him from me. Must suck knowing she'd choose his dead unfuckable body over your oh so sweet ride."

Riley went to smack her, but stopped himself as the scientist arrived with the gag. He grinned and held out his hand for the gag.

"I always knew you were kinky. You liked my riding you rough just a little too much. Did you get a taste for it? Want another go?" Faith batted her eyelashes and smiled sweetly up at him.

He grabbed her nose and pinched it hard, letting no air in or out. He traced her lips with the rubber ball gag waiting patiently.

Faith closed her eyes and pictured Wesley tracing her lips with his finger, smiling at her. She held her breath and waited to see where the very uptight watcher would take this game. His finger was soft and his skin caught on her lips every so often. She moaned without opening her mouth, a soft pleading sound.

She felt the warm tingle between her shoulder blades and felt the fantasy of Wesley drift away. Buffy was with her now. The warmth radiated through her body and all her wounds healed. She opened her eyes and smiled. She wasn't a lab rat. She was a slayer and Big Sis was coming for her.

Riley shoved the gag against her lips and she accepted it. She thought of Buffy's first rule, stay alive. She closed her eyes and returned to her fantasies. Buffy would make it right.


	25. Chapter 25

The large group settled down and Buffy leaned back against Oz. He smiled against her hair and whispered into her ear, "Next time you decide to do magic only possessed by the most powerful of werewolves, let me know."

She leaned back farther and looked into his eyes. "Are you unhappy about it?"

"No, I'd just like a little warning. It wouldn't hurt to let Giles research these things first." He grinned at her and quirked one eyebrow up.

She nodded and made a pouty face. "I just went with my instincts. I have to protect them."

"We all have to protect them."

"Our family," she grinned. "Two vampires, two watchers, an ex demon, two witches, two humans, a seer, two slayers, and a werewolf."

He shrugged. "My pack is very unique. There's no place like home."

She grinned up at him. "Call me Kansas."

"Okay, Kansas." He smiled at her and dropped a sweet peck on her lips. "Seems like years ago."

"Fated to mated in less than a week." She tossed his words back at him.

"I couldn't be happier." He ran a finger along her cheek.

Giles cleared his throat and drew their attention. "There are matters at hand, Buffy."

The pounding on the door shocked everyone. Spike strolled over to it, and opened it to reveal a tear stained and wild eyed Willow.

"Well, Red, what brings you here?" The vampire relaxed a bit, seeming less threatening.

"I need help, and I don't know how long I'll be in my right mind to ask for it." Willow looked into the room at her family and felt the darkness flicker to life. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

Buffy stood and walked toward the door, signaling to Spike to help the red headed witch into the room. "Giles, what can we do?"

"Restrain her. If the darkness is powerful enough we won't be safe from her unless we do. I know you bound her to you, and it's helping, but the link is strained and we don't know enough about this magic to trust it."

"A soliloquy, just to say tie her up?" Buffy raised a brow at her watcher and grinned.

"I'll do it." Tara said quietly. "She doesn't want to hurt me, even when she's all crazy she just wants to control me."

Oz walked over to the weapons locker and pulled out the rope and the duct tape. He held them up silently waiting for Tara to choose one and to accept the burden of binding her lover.

Tara stood and grabbed both. "Tell me how to do this without hurting her." She spoke to the room at large.

"The kitchen chairs there would be best." Giles nodded toward the breakfast bar.

Willow popped her eyes open and walked to the chairs. "I'm here of my own free will," she snarled. "I'm not the only one here with a dark side."

Spike stepped back and held his arms in the air. Angel smirked. Giles coughed and grinned. The laughter that broke from the group soothed Willow's hurt feelings. They weren't treating her badly.

"You only almost accidentally killed someone. Doesn't even rank in the evil act pantheon of our family." Xander spoke up. "I think getting Spike and Buffy engaged was worse than this thing with Oz."

Willow looked at Xander sharply. "What thing with Oz?"

Xander gulped at her sudden intensity. "Well, uhm. I'll let them explain."

Willow turned her head toward Buffy and watched in horror as her best friend fell to the ground and started to seize while Wesley screamed and passed out clutching his chest. "I didn't do this." Willow cried.

Everyone started to swarm around the insensate watcher and the seizing slayer. Oz wanted to growl and fling them from his mate, but he felt the mark that rode his skin over his heart. "Everybody," he used his deepest and growliest voice letting the wolf flash in his eyes. "Back away from them. Giles is it safe to touch them or to move them?"

"I don't know. They seem to be suffering from some sort of attack but their reactions are different. Buffy could break anyone of us if we touch her in the throws of a seizure."

"What about Wes? Can we help him?" Cordelia looked pale and Angel walked over to them.

Oz watched Giles dither. He turned to Angel. "Make the futon a bed, get him comfortable. Someone is with him all the time. Understood?"

"Understood." Angel looked perplexed but jumped to do as commanded. Shooing the others back and pulling the futon out to its bed like from. He picked up Wes and laid him carefully upon the mattress. "Cordelia," He nodded to the place by Wesley's head. "You sit with him for now."

Oz looked around. They needed to be busy. "Joyce could you help Tara with Willow? Keep her calm. The bond thing should help, but we don't know how to pull the darkness out of her yet." He turned to Spike. "You're in charge of patrol. Take Angel, Xander, and whatever weapons you need. Watch each other's backs out there. The Initiative is back."

Oz watched as Giles and Anya stood still and Buffy was no longer shaking. "Buffy has a huge collection of werewolf books in the bedroom. One is going to touch on this magic tattoo thing. I heard about it when I was traveling, but never met any packs with that much power." He walked over and scooped up his mate and carried her toward their room letting the others fall into step behind him.

He nudged the door open with his foot while staring at her beautiful face. He had wanted to carry her over the threshold and into this room, but he had wanted her aware of it. He looked up and into his room for the first time and gasped. There were candles everywhere and the bed was freshly made with clean sheets. He swallowed down the tears that tried to break free. "Looks like I wasn't the only one looking forward to tonight." He whispered to her. "I promise we will get this right soon."

Giles went to the books and pulled several handing them to Anya. He took more. "We'll start the research." He nodded to Oz as he pushed Anya out through the door.

Oz laid Buffy down upon the bed carefully centering her head on the pillow. He removed her shoes and socks and then his own. He lay down next to her and pulled her body along his. He knew that the others would need him soon, but for a few minutes he held her and let the tears come.


	26. Chapter 26

Giles entered the bedroom quietly. He looked at his slayer and her mate and felt pain chase through him. They needed some peace, deserved it. He contemplated the mark that rode his skin. His oath had bound him to her. His love for her had kept him with her, the daughter of his soul. Now, she had claimed him and he felt such joy. He needed to solve this problem. He wanted her to have the happiness on the horizon of this crisis. He felt the tear trace his cheek and wiped at it, stunned by his lack of control.

Oz shifted slightly and opened his eyes to stare at him. "Am I needed?"

"No, I will need to talk with you about this, but stay with her for a bit more. Spike and the others will be back from patrol soon. It should give me some time to try to understand pack magic." Giles rubbed his forehead.

"You are part of the pack." Oz looked at him expectantly.

Giles looked at him blankly.

"Buffy made you and Willow and Tara pack. Have you tried to use any magic since she joined us all?" Oz tilted his head and stared at Giles.

"She made us pack? We aren't wolves."

"Neither is she, but she did magic that is all but lost to the werewolf community. She has made the group into wolves in a magical sense. You need to know if it changed your controls or abilities." Oz looked at him quizzically waiting for the older man's giant brain to jump off the known tracks. He smiled as he saw Giles eyes widen.

"I need to try something." Giles turned from the room and strode purposefully toward the futon. He clasped and unclasped his hands looking eager and frightened at once.

"Not in here." Oz looked at him for a moment. "No experiments around her, we can't take the risk."

Giles looked sheepishly at the younger man. "Of course not. I wasn't thinking."

"Why don't we go out and see what you can do in the main room?" Oz unwrapped himself from around Buffy and covered her with the quilt. He pressed his lips softly against her temple and closed his eyes against the pain her lack of response brought him.

Giles had already made it to the living room and was trying to figure out a safe test for his magic with Tara. Oz watched as they bent toward each other and talked quietly. They were excited. He walked over to Willow and sat on the stool next to her. Joyce was in the kitchen puttering.

"I guess things seem a little crazy for you right now, too." He nodded at her.

"I'm glad I didn't kill you, Oz. I don't know what I was thinking." She looked lost and sad.

"The magic you'd been delving into was driving the bus." Oz looked down at his hands. "I should have told you I wasn't still in love with you. I was so nervous about your reaction to my news that I didn't think about your situation."

"What news?"

"Well, thanks to you, this is even more of a bomb to drop. Buffy and I are mated. She's the reason I'm back. We weren't there yet when you hit her with the mojo, but we are now." He looked away and sat perfectly still.

"So, you and Buffy, Buffy and you." Willow mused aloud.

"I came back hoping to belong, and hoping she'd accept me as a mate. We've kept in touch." He shrugged and glanced at Willow.

"I didn't see that one coming. She isn't too center stage for you?" She looked at him and grinned.

"She's just center stage enough."


	27. Chapter 27

The knock at the door pulled them all from their quiet conversations. Giles, Tara, and Willow shared a glance as Oz walked toward the door. Cordelia, Anya, and Joyce sat next to Wesley on the bed.

"Good idea, Oz, send away all the muscle when we are under attack." Cordelia snapped at him.

"Not all the muscle is gone." He growled and his eyes flashed as he let the wolf rise closer to the surface. He smiled as she curled back and away from him. He was glad keeping her in line was really going to be Angel's job.

He opened the door to find a vaguely familiar man standing there surrounded by men and women in tweed and three young girls. "Giles, it's for you." He stepped back to let them pass into the apartment.

Giles stepped forward and looked over the somber looking group. "To what do we owe this pleasure, Quentin?"

"Is the slayer still alive?" The pompous little man glared up at Giles.

"Buffy is alive, and we believe Faith is as well." Giles leaned against the weapons cabinet.

"Three girls have been called in the last few hours. How is that possible?" The group of watchers fluttered away from the head of the Council as he began to pace.

"I have no idea. You have the resources. We just fight the battles as best we can. We're rather deep into one at the moment. I wish we had answers for you." He looked over at the girls and smiled. They were so young.

"I want to see Miss Summers." Travers was still pacing and he glared up at Giles. "Where is the girl? Get her, now."

Oz stepped into his path. "Giles is familiar to you, so I understand you think you can come here and order him around. You will not continue to do so under my roof. Buffy will meet with you at her leisure."

"Your roof? Who are you?" Travers looked confused.

"My roof, my hospitality, and while Buffy isn't here, mine to protect." He let his eyes flash and grinned at the portly little man with a slightly elongated canine. "Tell your little slayers to back down. I'm not the only unusual creature here. The others are on their way up here. There will be no funny business from your trio of newbies. Are we clear?"

Quentin Travers found himself nodding and backing away from the young man before him. "We are quite clear. Whatever is wrong with Wyndham-Pryce?"

"We're working on that one still." Cordelia snapped out.

Oz walked over to the young slayers. "I know your senses are probably reeling. There are a lot of supernatural beings in this room, myself included. We won't hurt you. While you and the watcher brigade are here, we will do our best to keep you safe."

"We are the slayers." The tallest one said quietly.

"Yes, I know. You might turn out to be fairly good at it, but Buffy's the best. She would want us to keep you safe, so we will."

"They are warriors." Quentin argued from across the room. "They've all been trained, properly."

Oz looked over his shoulder. "Like Kendra? She lasted a long while." He turned back toward Travers. "It appears you are as slow as she claims. I had hoped it was hyperbole. My home, my rules, we protect children here."

Spike came in laughing with Xander as Angel glared at both of them. The two vampires stepped back on alert and the slayers took up battle stances. Oz groaned and stepped between the two factions.

"Stand down." He glared at Spike and Angel then turned to their young guests. "They are part of our family. You can't hurt them. They can defend themselves, and the rest of us will help them. I guarantee you'll be the ones hurting when the battle is over. Then Buffy will tear into you."

"Oz, do you have to frighten them out of the fight? I'd love a go at the new slayers." Spike whined.

"Shut up, Spike." Angel rolled his eyes.

"You can both train with them tomorrow, but for tonight we need to figure out what to do with our guests."


	28. Chapter 28

Faith regained her senses for five minutes and started to scream around the gag. Wesley's warmth and Buffy's strength flooded into her, but she couldn't help pulling on them both even harder. The physical pain was far worse than when Buffy had gutted her. T radiated throughout her body in growing waves.

She watched as one of the scientists walked around her, checking the electrodes. "We need to replace the electrodes and allow the subject a day for recuperation."

" You're sure you can do this? We need to be sure." Riley watched Faith cry as she lay upon the table, not noticing the strange look the scientist was giving him.

"We can't be sure until we've attempted it, but I believe we will be successful. The science is a bit strange, but I believe we will have the ability to defend the world from an HST invasion in a few hours time."

Faith blinked her eyes and tried to clear her mind. Buffy was so strong within her it was like they were sharing a body. She needed to push her out, needed to protect B from these monsters. Wesley fluttered inside her. She knew he wasn't aware at the moment. The last electrocution had been the worst of the batch. His power had held onto her. Some part of him was hers forever, now. She wondered if this was the bond Buffy had with Giles.

She wasn't sure she'd make it through the next round. She wasn't sure she should be fighting to survive, but Buffy's first law of slaying was to survive. Faith pushed her fears down and started to gather her strength. The scientists were leaving the room, but she could sense Riley still there.

"Do I get to move or am I stuck here for the duration?" She tried to sound angry.

"You'll be freed as soon as that bag of electrolytes and stuff drains into you." Riley walked over to her and smiled down at her. "You may be the worst slayer in history, but you are a great lab rat."

"Rats get a bad rap. They are fierce predators for their size, and they survive. Your precious Buffy did some time as one." She kept her voice light and happy this time, mocking him.

"Buffy is the slayer. She'll never be a lab rat like you. I'll keep her out of here, and she'll be happy to be with me soon. I'll be able to be what she needs soon." Riley smiled down at her happily and stroked a finger along her tear stained face.

"Buffy will only be happy with you if you lobotomize her. She doesn't do crazy well. I ought to know." Faith looked up at him and felt a wash of fear for Buffy as he continued to pet her face. His madness was starting to crack through.

"Buffy will love me once I am her equal. I'm going to give her the gift of retirement." He smiled down at Faith again. "You're going to help me."

The smiling, creepy Riley scared Faith far more than the angry, cruel version. Buffy could really pick the winners. He loosened the strap that held her head in place and started to massage her scalp with gentle fingers. She shivered in revulsion, but managed to keep herself pliant under his ministrations. It was never a good idea to poke at the crazy ones. She closed her eyes and felt the heat of Wes and Buffy's power flowing through her.


	29. Chapter 29

Tara watched the drama unfolding around her and decided that she needed to act. She moved toward Wes and motioned for Cordelia to move. Cordelia nodded gratefully and fled to stand next to Angel.

Tara pulled up all her healing power and felt the warmth flood her body. It was like a wave filling her, but she could sense some changes in the flow of her power. She had more control and a sense of connection to the world around her that had been lacking before Buffy had worked her magic.

She looked at the mark on Wes's wrist and placed her palm on it. She let the welling warmth flow into him through the mark, letting her power search for the damage. She felt how depleted he was and almost wept, but to appear weak with that odious toad in the room would be a mistake. She didn't have enough power to restore his to a functional level. She could feel him holding tight to Faith sending her power to the other slayer almost as quickly as she could pour it into him.

She needed a power source. Her mark burned on her shoulder and Anya gasped and reached for it, covering the glowing tattoo with her hand. Tara locked eyes with Anya and watched as the ex-demon nodded. She smiled and started to pull power from both of them and pushed it into Wes. She felt Anya's power, there was magic in it and knowledge. She used Anya to ground her and flowed along with Wes tracing his bond until she felt Faith. She could feel Buffy here, protecting her sister slayer.

The damage to Faith was frightening in its scope. Every bit of her was aching. Tara cringed and directed the power she was pulling from Anya to fill in the gaps, it was triage healing, but it might give Wes a chance. Buffy was holding strong against the onslaught, but the watcher was faltering.

She felt a stronger source of power join her as Anya pulled away. It had to be Giles. She grinned as he poured his power into them. Strong and brash, it was less pliable under her hand than Anya's had been, but she worked with it and felt Wes relax across the bond. She pulled back from Faith and touched Buffy for a moment before she returned to her body and collapsed into Giles arms.


	30. Chapter 30

Wesley heard Quentin Travers before he opened his eyes. He wanted to growl. He felt the influence of his slayer in it. He finally had a slayer. It was strange how complete he felt. He opened his eyes to see Giles sipping a glass of orange juice as he stared at the pontificating head of The Watchers Council.

"This is most unusual. I understand you've gone somewhat native, Rupert, but this borders on the criminal. I demand to see Miss Summers at once." Travers was purple faced and bellowing now.

"She's busy, doing her job as she sees it. I believe she has made her feelings about the Council quite clear." Wesley spoke as he sat up. "May I have a glass as well, Mr. Giles?"

Cordelia was already grabbing the glass from Joyce and heading toward him. "You drink this up, and quit scaring me." She snarled. He smiled at her and laughed when she glared at him.

"Sorry to have caused you a minute of pain." He looked over to Angel and nodded his head. Angel smiled at him and shook his head.

Spike, already edgy because of the new itty-bitty slayers, walked over and plopped down next to Wesley. "Tara said Buffy was alright. Do you think so?"

Wesley looked at Spike and smiled. "Buffy is fine. She doesn't want to leave Faith. I could sense her thoughts a bit. She seems cognizant of things surrounding Faith. I couldn't draw that information through the link."

Spike looked at Joyce and winked. "Told you the slayer would be fine, did I not?"

"Yes, Spike," Joyce replied. "You are the smartest undead man I've ever kissed."

Angel smiled at her. "Want to change that?"

Spike sprang from the futon and charged toward Angel, only to find Oz there between them. Angel smirked at him from behind the werewolf and he growled.

"Knock it off, Spike. He's just teasing you." Oz didn't even flinch as Spike growled and snarled. "Go help Joyce in the kitchen."

Spike glared at Angel for a moment more and headed toward the kitchen. Oz relaxed and shook a finger at Angel. "You're too old for this. Don't think I won't tell Buffy."

"I suppose this kind of behavior is acceptable when you comport yourself with such perverse creatures, Rupert," Quentin Travers said snidely. "Of all things, two vampires, a werewolf, and these others you have arrayed here."

Giles watched, amused, as Travers was suddenly the focus of the group's ire. Angel and Spike turned and approached the corpulent man with the sleek grace of their kind.

"Haven't had a good bit of fun in quite a while have we, Spike?" Angel flicked a bit of imaginary lint from his silk shirt.

"It has been quite a while, but I doubt he'd be much fun. He'd break so fast. I like it when they hold out and don't give in to the fear right away." Spike licked his lips. "Nothing like the first scream of the really strong."

Angel nodded as they walked circles around the little man. "He wouldn't be much of a challenge. He's already frightened. Listen to that heartbeat."

Spike cocked his head and smiled. "He won't last long enough to provide us with any fun."

"I'm not against hurting the little toad, but could someone please tell me why he's in my house." She was leaning against the wall casually as if she had just awakened from a short nap.

"We decided to take him in. He teleported here with that baggage, figured you'd want them safe." Joyce smiled at Buffy and offered her a glass of orange juice.

"Angel and Spike, He is not a new chew toy. Do you hear me? I'm the only one that hurts him." Buffy grinned as the group of watchers huddled even further back against the wall. "I warned you to stay far away from me, Quentin." She chugged her juice and wiped her mouth with one hand.

"Miss Summers, you have a duty…" He stopped speaking as she started circling him. She was far more frightening to him than her pet vampires.

"I have a great deal of duties, and none involve you standing in my home." She tilted her head at him and smiled. "Perhaps you want to observe me, that is all you are good for, watching."

He turned on his heal watching her. "We had no way to know if you still breathed air. The new slayers needed to be brought into the field."

"Giles and Wes know how to roll up their sleeves and get dirty, but you bring children to a war zone with no intent of putting any part of yourself on the line." She tilted her head in the other direction, cracking her neck in the process. "I don't like cowardice."

"I am not a coward." He sneered at her curling his lip.

"So?" She shrugged. "You're not worried I'll slit you throat and play with your entrails. I am the slayer. I tend to turn a blind eye to human monsters, but most of those haven't tried to kill my family or me."

"I am not afraid of you." His chin jutted out as he came to a standstill.

"You should be. You are the only thing in this room, souled or not, that I want o kill. My family is powerful, and we have a very long memory." Buffy grinned as Oz came to stand beside her. Angel and Spike stood slightly behind them.

Joyce walked across the room and held up a hand toward Buffy. "You are the one behind that awful test?"

Travers nodded but didn't shift his eyes away from Buffy and her supporters. Joyce coughed, drew back her fist and punched him with every bit of her strength. He collapsed to the floor with his eyes rolling up in his head.

"That's my girl." Spike chortled.


	31. Chapter 31

Oz ran his hand along Buffy's side and watched her examine the new slayers. He saw her looking them over, and wondered what she was thinking. Her eyes darkened and she looked at Quentin Travers still blissfully out of it.

"Glass jaw," she grumbled.

Oz pulled her back against him and hugged her from behind resting his head on her shoulder. She covered his hands with her own and sighed.

"They really are babies. This is no life for them." She sighed again and closed her eyes. "I'm going to do some Slayer magic, if they will let me."

"What are you going to do?" He watched her fret with the hem of her shirt and knew he wouldn't like the answer.

"I'm going to consolidate my power." She hugged his arms to her midriff for a second and then stepped away from him. "Angel, Spike, we're burning moonlight and I need you. Come on Giles, Oz. Grab some gear."

She walked to the three slayers. "You get to come with us, prove your worth. If you feel any bond with one of those tweedy types, bring him or her with us. You get one weapon each, and I had better get it back."

"Buffy, It is really close to dawn," Joyce said. "They're children. They need sleep."

"Mom, they're slayers. They need to learn to stay alive. They don't have you to protect them from the Quentin Travers types. I need to do this now. It can't wait because I'll need to get back to Faith soon. Have Wes and the others find some way to confine Travers and his flunkies once I'm gone, and I wouldn't hate it if you hit him a few more times. Go to town." Buffy smiled at her Mom and turned to find her little group ready to go.

"Where to, Buffy?" Oz looked at her with a bit of concern.

"Let's hit the park, the big field by the swings is perfect." She reached out her hand to him and smiled as their fingers entwined.

"Perfect for what? Not like there's a lot of demon activity in that area." Spike grumbled before shouldering his axe and following after the pair. The new slayers and their watchers followed him, all casting a wary eye at the axe.

"Look at them," Giles shook his head, showing his dis pleasure. "They're all terrified of him because of an axe. It's not even a special axe."

"They don't know how dangerous he is without it. I imagine it must be hard for them to grasp the fact that the weapon only slows him down." Angel muttered to Giles. "Not one has realized we're following along behind, and far more dangerous."

Spike turned and growled at Angel, flashing golden eyes for a moment. The junior slayers stepped back from him and their watchers stood still. Buffy snorted and Oz chuckled, but they kept walking.


	32. Chapter 32

Buffy watched as her little troop splintered into three groups. The new slayers stood to one side casting nervous glances at Spike and Angel and the three watchers stood some distance away looking awkward. Oz and Giles were waiting to join the others with her. She smiled at them and walked over to Angel And Spike with them.

"You are going to help me test this lot." She tilted her head toward the three slayers. "They are going to spar with you. I want you to take them down, hard. They need to be afraid."

"I'm sure I'm not fighting them." Giles looked at her waiting for her to fill him in.

"No, you are going to make nice the watcher brigade over there, and let me know if they are of the good or of the Travers." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "If I let these girls stay on as slayers they'll need us to protect them."

"Now, let's get this party started so our light sensitive compatriots can get home in time." She bumped her shoulder against Spike's and grinned at him. "Mom might hurt me if we cut it close."

"That's right, pet. Your mum could take us all down, and still make hot chocolate." Spike's blue eyes twinkled. "With little marshmallows."

Buffy punched him lightly on the shoulder and turned toward the newbie slayers. She walked toward them slowly taking in their reactions. The tallest girl with the lovely chocolate skin reacted as if threatened, puffing up and becoming aggressive. Ellen wasn't cut out to last long in the slayer world. Buffy wished she had been more like Kendra or Faith, but this girl had neither the brains. The youngest girl stared at her in awe, and Buffy's heart broke to see the exhaustion readily apparent on her young face. The third girl, Mai, stood back and watched them all, trying to figure out the puzzle. Buffy liked her and hoped she passed this test.

"Fee, could you and your watcher come here, please?" Buffy waited slightly apart from the group until the large kilted watcher and the tiniest girl came to her.

"How old are you?" Buffy asked her as she sat cross-legged on the ground. She smiled when Fee did the same, and both watched as her watcher tried to figure out how to maintain his dignity and remain in the conversation.

"I'm thirteen." She barely broke a whisper.

"You're too young for this crazy life. I'm thinking of removing your choice, but I'm not sure. We're going to have a talk after this challenge. Are you okay with that?" When Fee nodded her head Buffy looked up at her watcher and smiled. "I think you might be likeable. I hope for her sake I'm right."

Buffy sprang away from the seated pair and walked over to the two remaining slayers. "You two get to fight for the right to fight me." She smiled wide and bounced on her toes, waiting for their reactions. Mai smiled and nodded, holding her thoughts in, but Ellen flushed with anger.

"Who made you Queen Slayer? I don't answer to you." She stepped forward belligerently and Buffy just smiled at her.

"Prove it. Pick an opponent from my champions and win. Then we will see what kind of slayer could be made from you." Buffy tilted her head and watched as Ellen laughed.

"I'll take the little red haired one. He's no vamp." She smirked at Buffy.

"No, he's not a vamp. He's my mate." Buffy smiled sweetly at the girl. "You get to pick one weapon. You will fight Oz until either one of you concedes victory or I call the match. If you kill him you die."

Buffy bounced over to Oz and smiled. She hugged him to her and kissed him full on the mouth. She felt their marks heat for a moment and she broke the kiss laughing. "Try not to break her, but put her down fast and hard."

"I heard you earlier. They need to be afraid." He kissed her again lightly and ran into the open field.

Ellen rushed him and swung the long blade of a sword at him. She was clumsy with the weapon. He let her make three more passes before he kicked her wrist and disabled it. The claymore fell to the ground her hand flopped uselessly at the end of her arm. He saw the panic start to set in. His wolf rushed to the fore and he let his eyes flash over to their glowing emerald state. She started to shake and fell to her knees before he attacked. He hit her with a jab and a cross. She slid to the ground and he put a hand upon her throat.

"Call it, Buffy. She's half out of it." Oz called out to her. He stood and walked away from the girl and felt no pity for her. She would have died on her first patrol. She'd been poorly trained. Buffy was giving her a life.

"Mai, what did she do wrong?" Buffy called out as she walked over to Ellen.

"She chose her opponent poorly, picked the wrong weapon, and she relied on her size rather than her mind for the win." Mai smiled.

"Do you want her at your back? Do you want to depend on her?" Buffy stood over Ellen and waited for the answer.

"No."

"Ellen, I have no use for you. I claim that which is mine." Buffy pressed her hands down upon Ellen's stomach and her head. Their eyes glowed for a minute and Ellen screamed in agony, but Buffy kept her down with the pressure of her two hands until the glow faded from her eyes and she relaxed in a whimpering pile.

"Ellen is no longer a slayer. My power is returned to me. She cannot be called again. The council will treat her as a potential that has passed the age of calling. Do you understand?" Buffy asked the older female watcher as she stood her ground. The watcher nodded. "Clear her from the field."


	33. Chapter 33

Mai watched the two vampires. The taller one was watching the action in a halfhearted manner. He wasn't really interested in the battle. The smaller one bounced on the balls of his feet and missed nothing. She watched Buffy reclining in the grass with her mate, the youngest slayer, and the remaining watchers. Ellen and her watcher had been removed to some park benches a fair distance away. Buffy wanted to test her skills, wanted a bit of a show, and Mai wanted to give her one.

"May I speak to them?" She called out to Buffy.

"Kind of up to them. I don't own them. They're family." Buffy called back.

Mai looked at these strange creatures. Vampires that had become family to a slayer, she found that hard to accept. She walked toward them ignoring the tingling feeling in the back of her neck. She wished she had longer hair like Buffy's, something to flip about and distract their intense gazes.

"So, you are both masters, yes?" She watched for any reaction to her question, but the vampires just nodded in unison.

"Have you always been her allies?" She needed something to work with, but they just shook their heads in unison.

"Do you consider her family?" Mai watched, as Angel looked over at the slayer in question. Spike was nodding, but Angel was watching her, considering something.

"She's family." Angel said bleakly.

"Dawn is coming, luv. Make your choice." Spike smiled at her.

Mai looked at them both. She turned her back on them and faced Buffy. "Which one do you want me to fight? This is your test. Since I can't kill, I figure hand to hand is best."

"You have to pick. It tells me something." Buffy stood up and trotted over to the group. "I'll fight the on you don't pick. I could use the practice."

"I was leaning toward Spike, but I'd like to see that battle. I'll take Angel." Mai grinned at Buffy.

"Then let me properly introduce you." Buffy stepped back and gestured toward Mai with a flourish. "This is Mai, a new junior slayer. Mai, this is Angel also known as Angelus Scourge of Europe, also my first love."

Angel took off his jacket and handed it to Buffy. "Thank you for holding that for me." She looked at him and saw the satisfaction her introduction had given him.

"If she makes it five minutes, you need more practice." Buffy smiled sweetly at him and bounced.

Mai walked to the field and started to turn when she felt like a sledgehammer hit her in the kidneys. She fell to her knees and gasped for breath. A cold hand grabbed the back of her neck and flung her back ten feet. She managed to land and spring up only to find herself being circled by Angel.

"She didn't say begin." Mai gasped.

"She never said that was a rule." Angel smirked.

Mai felt the breeze move past her a second before Angel's fist knocked her back to the ground. She could feel blood seeping from her nose. Her eyes darted to Angel and she watched as he licked her blood from his knuckles. The world fell away and all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart as she sprang at him.

He grinned and stepped to the side, but she jumped high and kicked him at the last second, knocking him down to one knee. He smiled and turned as she circled him. She hated that smile. She flung herself at him building speed and leaping into the air.

Her kick never landed. She felt his cold body up against her back. One arm was holding her to him and the other forced her head to the side. He sniffed her neck and she shuddered.

"Let the girl go, Angel." Buffy sounded irritated. "Less than two minutes, but you still need to practice."

Mai slid to the ground and collapsed to her knees. "I'm not really a slayer."

"You can be if you want to be. You have the brain to make it, and you managed to take him to a knee. That's not easy. You can keep your powers or I can take them. Your choice."

"Why did you do this?" Mai looked up at Buffy with tears streaming from her eyes.

"If you're a slayer, you sometimes have to make tough decisions. You also have to know that this is how it will end. At some point, something will kill you. Learn to survive. Retreat isn't a bad thing. Make your death worth something. Know your life made a difference. Clear the field and think about it."

Spike smiled as he advanced. Buffy grinned and they circled each other. He rushed her, but she twisted away and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Do better. Pretend you still want to make me your third slayer." Buffy's snarky tone caught Mai's attention.

Angel sat next to her and watched the acrobatic battle in front of them with her. She looked at him. He was beautiful and powerful. She looked at the others arrayed on her other side. Buffy's watcher was calm, collected, brilliant, and handsome for an older man. Her mate was about Mai's own height only a few inches taller than Buffy, but he was elegant and precise in his movements. All of her group had some bit of the indefinable to them. She turned back to the battle and watched as Buffy landed a vicious spinning kick and knocked Spike back thirty feet. He came up laughing.

"Good one, pet," he shouted.

"We've got an hour at best. Shut your gob and fight." Buffy flipped her long hair over her shoulder and beckoned Spike with her fingers.

The men all chuckled as he rushed her.

"Watching her fight is a joy." Angel said.

Mai smiled as she settled in to watch.


	34. Chapter 34

Buffy dusted of her bottom and offered a hand to Spike. He looked up at her and grinned sheepishly.

"It was fun, pet, but I think you broke me."

Buffy laughed and helped him to his feet. She spent a couple of minutes popping his shoulder back into place and watched as he winced at the tenderness.

"You'll be fine, you big baby." She shook her head and wiped some blood from her lips.

"Whatever is the world coming to? William the Bloody beat up by his future step daughter." Angel shook his head mockingly. "How the mighty have fallen."

"Leave off, Angel. Unless you want me to squeeze in one more trouncing before dawn." Buffy glared at the older vampire. "You two are going to behave until Faith is safe. Do I make myself clear?"

Angel and Spike nodded looking for all the world like naughty little boys.

"Get home before the sun takes you both." She watched as they darted away from her shoving each other as they ran. "Idiots."

"It was a good show." Giles looked at his slayer closely. "Why?"

"They need to know I'm better. They need to know I'll take them if I have no choice. I also needed to know if they'd be useful. Mai needs a new watcher. Her training is lacking. She has potential to be truly amazing, but she isn't where she needs to be."

"We could train her." Giles turned and looked at the young girl speculatively.

"No, after this fight, she'll pick someplace and go there to serve the greater good. I've got Faith to back me up here." Buffy turned and looked at the group. "I have a solution, but I'm not sure how receptive they are going to be to my ideas."

"After tonight, I'm not sure any of them would dare to ignore you." Giles grinned at her. "It really was a very good show."

"Well, let's see if the third act is as strong as the first two." They grinned and trotted over to the others. Buffy flung herself onto a reclining Oz and giggled when he grunted.

"Did you have fun reminding the naughty vampires to behave?" He tickled her and she squealed.

"Of course. I'm going to have to knock Angel down a peg or two soon. Living in L.A. has made him a little soft and a lot uppity." She kissed Oz's nose.

"Can't abide an uppity vampire." He smiled at her and pulled her close for a gentle hug.

She tucked her head under his chin and sniffed his chest, content to rest in his arms for a moment. She wanted to get this crisis behind them and spend some serious time with her mate. She rubbed her cheek against his chest and felt him growl slightly.

"Buffy, I think you need to explain your idea to the others." Giles said softly. He was loathe to interrupt their couple precious moments together, but there was planning to do.

"Okay." She pushed up from Oz's embrace and glared at the others for a second before settling down on the grass. She indicated the others should resume sitting with her hands and smiled as Oz sat slightly behind her on her left side.

"What plan do you have?" The older unfamiliar watcher asked her. "The slayer is the weapon not the hand that guides it."

"Your way gets the slayer killed pretty fast. Been there, done that. Not going back. Giles and I work as a team with a large group. I may do the heavy lifting, but we each have our niche. If you can't get with the program, leave."

He stood and glared down his nose at her. "They've spoiled you. First Merrick leaves you with your parents then Giles allows you friends. It's ridiculous. I take my leave of you. Come, Mai." He turned to walk away and realized Mai was still sitting.

"I'm not coming, sir. I need to hear what the chosen one has to say." Mai never looked up from the grass at his feet. She didn't see him raise his hand to strike her, but she felt the breeze as Buffy leapt over her and knocked him to the ground, holding him down with one hand pressed to his chest.

"Your lucky dawn is here, or I'd snap your neck and feed you to Spike. You don't get to hit her. She'll deal with enough pain in this life without your possessive dominance crap. Don't go back to my home. If I never see you again you'll get to live." Buffy growled and pushed herself off of him.

The man scurried back never taking his eyes from Buffy. She stood between him and his charge. "This is interference between an active slayer and her watcher. It will not be tolerated."

"Run along. You've been relieved of duty. You can retire or be retired." Buffy took one step toward him and Giles grabbed her arm.

"You need to leave, Marks. We don't hit our charges outside of training. Fee's watcher stood on her other side and ran a dirk across his thumb, ostensibly testing the blade.

"They are weapons, nothing more. They are no different than hunting dogs. She'll die soon enough, and this odd rebellion will end. Quentin will see to it." Marks snarled at the group.

"You're assuming my mother won't kill him first." Buffy smiled and took another step forward leaving the other watchers one step behind her. "We don't do meek here on the hell mouth." He swirled about and stormed off talking under his breath as he went.

"Thank you both, but I wouldn't have really hurt him. I just want him to fear me and mine. It might give him pause before he hurts the next girl." Buffy smiled at Giles.

"Very Ripperish, my dear." Giles grinned approvingly.

"Coming from you, that had better be a compliment." She grinned at him and giggled.

"What's your plan?" Giles asked, shifting gears rapidly.

"Mai needs a watcher and this guy is it." She tilted her head toward the kilted watcher. "Never caught your name."

"Hay. Angus Hay." He smiled at her. "You put on quite a show. Was all of it for our benefit?"

"No. Do you want Fee to be a slayer?" Buffy stared at him.

"I want her to be what she wants to be, but this is not the life I want for her." He looked at Buffy very carefully. "I'm a watcher I understand why we need you. I just wish there was another way. You have lived to adulthood, few do."

"Will you take on Mai if she'll have you?" Buffy stared deep into his bright blue eyes.

"Yes, she'll need help and I'd be proud to give it." He looked at the tall girl still sitting on the ground.

"You'll make an oath to her. You will belong to her and Fee will become your daughter. Can you live with that?" Buffy watched him as he nodded.

Buffy dropped to the ground between the two girls. Mai was perfectly still.

"Mai will you take him on as a watcher. I think he has what it takes to make you great. I also think he's a nice man like Giles." Mai nodded her head once, but didn't look at any of them.

Buffy scooted next to Fee and dropped an arm around her shoulders. "Do you want this life? I think you're too young, but I want you to have a say."

"I just want to be normal, maybe train to be a watcher, but I can't fight like Mai and I'll never last long enough to get as good as you. Is it going to hurt?" Fee scooted closer to Buffy.

"No sweetie, you aren't fighting it." Buffy kissed her fore head and hugged her as her eyes began to glow.


	35. Chapter 35

Quentin sat in the beanbag chair with his hands and feet bound in duck tape. He watched Mrs. Summers move around the small apartment and kept his mouth shut. He had tried to cow her when he had regained himself the first time only to discover she could kick like a mule. Then as he gasped for breath she had struck him down again. He had come to tied and sprawled in this ridiculous excuse for a chair. There was no regard for his dignity or comfort. He fumed and watched as they all researched and watched the door.

Angel and Spike arrived shoving through the door at the same time. Angel was perfectly clean, but Spike looked like he'd been dragged through a muddy field. Joyce rushed toward him, but he held his hand up.

"It's nothing a shower and a pint won't fix, Luv. Buffy needed to make a point and I enjoyed helping her make it." He grinned at her.

"Buffy did this to you?" Joyce looked stricken.

"I enjoyed it, Joyce. She's an amazing fighter, a real challenge. She didn't do anything to me I haven't done to her in the past. She even pulled some of her punches. Pissed me off a bit, if you must know." He smiled at her and traced a finger along her jaw line.

"So, you don't think it had anything to do with us?" Joyce looked into his eyes searchingly.

"No, Buffy doesn't need a reason to spar with me. She knows I'm always ready. You have to keep your skills sharp to survive. We just put on a bit of a show for our visitors. Now, I'm going to grab a shower and clean this mud off." He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and darted down the hall.

"He really does love fighting Buffy. They are both finesse players. It's fun to watch." Angel smiled at her.

"Maybe for vampires, but that's my daughter and my fiancé you are talking about. I'll never really get your world." Joyce grumbled.

"You handled Quentin pretty well." Angel smiled at her.

"He got what he deserved. I'm tired of him and his sheep." She glared at the remaining watchers. "If you don't roll up your sleeves and help fight what good are you?"

"We all have our niche. Buffy needs you as much as any of the rest of us. She isn't a war machine. She's a real woman." Angel smiled at her. "You've done so much for her, been so brave. You've protected her from me, talked me into going. She has a real life now, and I'm working on getting one."

"Let me heat you up some blood." Joyce smiled and patted his hand.

Quentin wished he'd sent a wet team after Buffy when she quit. His life would have been so much simpler, no renegade slayer, no tame vampires, no fired watchers looking down their noses at him.

Buffy bounded through the door with Giles and Oz trailing behind. She smiled and stared at Quentin, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow.

"So, you pissed Mom off. Not really surprising." She smiled and ripped the tape from his wrists enjoying his gasp of pain. "You're down to three active slayers."

"You killed two of the girls?" He shoved himself away from her.

"No. I tested them. Ellen failed, Mai passed, and Fee resigned. Fee's watcher will continue on as her guardian and will be serving as Mai's watcher. I took back the power from Ellen and Fee. It's my prerogative."

"You took back their power?" Quentin stared at her in awe.

"I am the Chosen One. It's my power. Are you ready to negotiate with me as equals?" She narrowed her gaze and waited for his answer.

"Will I walk out that door if I am not?" He sneered at her.

"You can leave anytime, but I'm willing to let you back in on the slayer gig if you and I can come to some sort of accord.

Quentin looked at the woman in front of him, truly seeing her for the first time. She was more than a weapon, more than a replaceable part in his war machine. He looked down at his bound feet and nodded his head.


	36. Chapter 36

Buffy and Wes both felt the moment Faith started panicking. Buffy looked at Wes, Tara, Anya, Cordelia and her mother. Their group needed protection, but she needed all her known fighters.

"Quentin," Buffy turned to her right and watched the small man fake a smile. "What kind of offensive and defensive skills does your group of watchers possess?"

"They are capable." He answered her curtly obviously offended by the question.

"Capable of what? I need to know." Buffy glared at the man.

"They have all been trained to work with an active slayer."

"So, they are all like Wesley was when you first sent him here?" She looked slightly put out. "I need them, but I need to know what they can do."

Her eyes scanned the room as she felt a stab of pain from Faith. She turned to Wes, hoping to hold him with them for a few minutes more.

"Wes, can you evaluate them? Do you have enough time?" He shook his head and fell to his knees. Cordelia ran o his side and helped him back to his feet and half dragged him to the futon.

"Angel," she called.

"Already on it." He returned as he went to talk with the clutch of watchers.

She nodded her head and turned to see that Spike and Oz were busy getting weapons distributed. She grinned at her mate and he nodded at her. Turning her eyes back to Quentin, she squared her shoulders.

"Alright, this is going to be a bloody fight over dangerous terrain, so I'm leaving my home and some of my family here in your care. If they make it through unscathed, you will reinstate Giles and Wesley and pay them their back pay. You will get reports as Giles, Wesley, and the new guy see fit. Mai and her team will relocate to a new city. Faith and Wesley will handle LA with Angel. There are going to have to be some new ideas taught to the potential watchers. Are those terms acceptable?" Buffy looked calmly at Quentin.

"What happens if they do not come through this next battle unscathed?" He watched as her face went perfectly still.

"Then I'll be negotiating with your replacement." She stood and walked away leaving a bemused man in her wake.

Buffy walked back to Tara's room and found Willow tied to the chair. She looked at her best friend and smiled grimly.

"Sorry about the bondage. We have a bit oaf a situation, and I need to know if you are capable of helping or if you're still dark magic's bitch." Buffy started pacing.

"I think it's not an either or situation or you wouldn't be here." Willow felt her gut clench as she watched Buffy look at her, assessing her as a threat.

"You're right. I need you, but I need to trust you if I take you in with my team." Buffy ran a hand through her hair and stopped pacing by the window. "They are killing Faith and reviving her again and again to summon slayers. It's torture, plain and simple. I'm having to work all sorts of mojo myself, and I hate it. I haven't had any time with my mate, and that sucks in ways I don't want you imagining."

Willow smiled and shook her head at Buffy's rant. She looked at the vine Tara had drawn on her skin while Buffy was out, and it was glowing a soft green. She studied it for a moment and then looked at Buffy.

"Get Tara! Get her right now." Willow nodded at Buffy as she headed toward the door. "I think she can help."

Buffy opened the door and found Tara with her arm raised about to knock. Both girls grinned and turned to Willow.

"I didn't need to get her. Care to explain?" Buffy smiled at Tara and gently patted her arm with one hand as she pointed at Willow's glowing wrist with the other.

"It worked. I hoped it would, but I'd never tried anything like it before." Tara walked over to Willow and stroked her hair Before leaning in and kissing her forehead.

"So, so glad it's working, but what is it?" Buffy smiled and looked pointedly at Willow's wrist.

"It's like our pack marks, but on a smaller scale. I got the idea to try it after helping Wes." Tara looked down at Willow's decorated wrist and watched as the glow started to fade. "When her dark magic problem flares the vine pulls some of my light to bind it. I felt it being pulled, so I came back here to find out what was going on."

"It's brilliant, baby. I'm so proud." Willow smiled at her lover with open adoration.

"It's only a temporary solution. It doesn't take the darkness out of her, but it makes her safer for the rest of us to be around." Tara shrugged and looked at the floor.

"Is it strong enough for me to take her with the team?" Buffy started to bounce on the balls of her feet.

"Now that I know it's working, I can make it strong enough. There might be a problem with it though." Tara looked up at Buffy quickly. "I can't keep her strong and feed Wesley energy at the same time."

"Maybe one of the stupid watcher sheep can help out there, or maybe Anya?" Buffy looked at Tara and the other girl nodded.

"It'll have to be Anya unless you want to pull one of those watcher sheep into our pack." Tara and Willow smiled as Buffy shuddered.

"Anya it is. We are leaving in less than an hour, so I'll go tell Anya what's up and let you get going on this. It'll be good to have you guarding our backs again, and we will figure out some way to fix this permanently." Buffy smiled at both women and all but bounced out of the room.


	37. Chapter 37

Buffy shot a glare in Spike's direction as they traveled through the access tunnel he had learned about while working with Adam.

"What? It's not like I knew I'd fall for Joyce and you'd be family. Is it? I was doing evil. It was what I thought I was supposed to do." Spike looked away from her sheepishly.

"Spike, don't think. You might strain something." Buffy snarled and then grinned as she fought back a giggle. "Try to keep your pretty head attached. Mom is pretty fond of it."

Angel snorted, and tried to look innocent as Buffy and Spike both turned and glared at him. He held his hands up in surrender, and they turned their focus back to the tunnel in front of them.

"You are old enough to know better, man." Oz chuckled and patted Angel on the back. "Before a fight? Those two? Are you insane?"

"Well, it appears we are about to trudge into some demonic rabbit hole on his say, so maybe." Angel shrugged and studied the play of light down his sword blade.

Oz watched Buffy roll her neck for the fifth time in a matter of minutes and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. "It's a tunnel, but I'm not feeling the love."

Buffy tossed her mate a grin. "Willow's got the others in place by Lowell house. Going to Riley to complain about me should get her in. So, we know where to go once we've got Faith."

"What's her condition? Can you sense it?" Angel watched Buffy shudder and felt a flash of guilt for even bringing it up.

"They've killed her four times since this morning. The last revival was bad. She's in a fair amount of pain. You may need to carry her out. Oz will guard your back. You two get her out fast. She isn't going to be any good in this fight. Spike and I can hold them off and we can get out other ways if Willow can't hold the escape route for us. Giles and the others will be there to get you back home." Buffy stared at him.

"You want us to leave you there and rescue Faith? Have you lost your mind?" Angel snarled in Buffy's face. "This is why you didn't talk about the plan before we got here. You're planning on winging it with Spike as your back up. That's your fucking plan?"

"Angel, you can play it safe in Los Angeles where you call the shots, but this is my city, my sister slayer, and my damn responsibility. Get off my back and fall in line, or I'll show you exactly how much stronger I've gotten since I sent you to hell." Buffy stood and watched him struggle with his urge to fight her.

"Grandpapa doesn't do the falling in line thing very well." Spike shrugged. "The wolf can guard my back and I'll get her out."

Oz snarled and felt his body start to heat up as his anger level rose. "Angel, knock it off. You are going to blow the timing on this. Faith is currently alive. We need to get in there now. If Buffy trusts Spike to have her back, he will. My mate knows her pack."

Angel looked into Oz's glowing eyes and shivered, an odd unexpected fear running through him. "No plan survives contact with the enemy, anyway."

Buffy snorted. "Now he gets it."

"Only took him a quarter of a millennia." Spike chortled.

"Well, old dogs…" Buffy countered.

"I resent that, there is nothing canine about him." Oz smirked at Angel and laughed when his mate giggled.

"Well, Gramps, even the pup has your number now." Spike raised an eyebrow as Angel growled at the group of them.

"Exactly when did I become the least evil being in the room?" Angel groused.

"Not in a room, it's a bloody tunnel." Spike swung his arm out toward the curving walls of the passage. "Are you sure he's all there, pet?"

"It doesn't matter. He's strong enough, and he'll help Faith. If he's ready for the old vamp's home afterward, we'll deal with it." Buffy's voice dropped to a whisper as they approached the final turn toward the occupied facility. "I should have blown this place up just like the high school."

"Would have been fun. Later, yeah?" Spike rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "I'd love to be done with this hell hole."

"Might damage the college. Maybe demonic rabbits could be convinced to make it home. A good demon infestation would at least slow the government types down." Buffy patted Spike's shoulder. " Whatever we do, I promise you get to help."

"There are no demonic bunnies, Buffy." Angel took a deep breath. "You could probably fill it with concrete or at least get the council to do it."

"Anya wouldn't have liked the bunnies anyway." Buffy shrugged and stepped through the opening into a quiet and dusty room.

"Faith is in a lab about a ten minute walk from here. We need to get there fast and out faster. Whatever they've been doing, it's not good. I can feel something wrong here." Buffy frowned trying to get a handle on what her senses were picking up, but time was short. "Keep your eyes open, everybody. There is something really off here."

Buffy opened the double doors and stepped into the brightly lit hallway. Angel rolled his eyes and followed after her with Oz. Spike swirled around making sure there was nothing threatening them from behind before he followed along, axe resting on his shoulder.

There was nothing to stop them as they approached the laboratory. The halls were deserted and the ease of it made them each uncomfortable. Buffy bounced on the balls of her feet nervously and burst through the final set of doors between them and the lab.

The lab was destroyed. There was debris everywhere. Buffy could see Faith strapped to a table in one of the lab's cells. She closed her eyes and let the breath she'd been holding go.

"Whatever happened here, we need to get a move on." Spike pushed Angel along ahead of him. "I don't want to be here if it comes back."

Buffy nodded and started to pick her way across the debris with the others following close behind. Angel grabbed her arm and pointed out the mangled body. The human had been male and older. Buffy knelt next to his head and gently closed his fixed eyes before ripping the key card off from around his neck. She wiped the gore from it and tossed it to Spike.

He ran the card through the reader and the door slid open. Buffy ran into the cell and slid across a puddle of blood, barely keeping herself upright. Buffy looked for the ounce of the blood and found two scientists collapsed in a corner.

"One of them is still alive. I can hear the heart beat." Angel nodded at them as he shrugged out of his coat and wrapped Faith's naked body in it.

Oz growled as Buffy walked over to them. She pulled the dead man away from the female underneath him. The woman was staring into the distance, unseeing, but she had no visible wounds.

"Oz, can you help her get out of here? She may be able to tell us what happened here when she comes around." Buffy leaned her shoulder against him as he helped her pull the woman up.

"She might not get over this. Some don't." Spike grimaced as he looked around. "Still, wouldn't be right to let her reap what she sowed."

Buffy watched as the woman shuffled along next to Oz and shrugged. "I'm not dealing a whole lot of pity for her right now. She's human and she might be useful, or I'd leave her here to rot."

"Buffy, you know better." Angel admonished.

"So did she." Buffy met his gaze without flinching. "I can't save everyone. I can live with that. I have to kill demons, sometimes beloved ones. I can live with that. She killed Faith, a fellow human, multiple times, and brought her back to do it again. How is she not a monster?"

"She's got a soul." Angel shrugged as they made their way to the elevators.

"Apparently it doesn't work as well as yours does." Buffy patted his back as they cleared the worst of the debris. "And Spike does better without one than she does with."

They walked through the empty hall to the bank of elevators, nervously eyeing the doors. Oz repeatedly sniffed the air, turning his head nervously. Buffy smiled at him as she pressed the button to call the elevator. Spike and Buffy stood between their burdened compatriots and the facility, scanning for the threat they could all sense.

Buffy and Spike saw the thing at the same moment. It roared and charged at them. Its eyes glowed red and its pustule riddle skin seemed to be undulating. Buffy didn't hesitate and charged at it, meeting it in the center of the giant room with a flying kick.

Oz grabbed Spike before he could run after her. "She's not all there at the moment, Spike. That thing, it's affecting her somehow. Be careful."

Spike nodded as the doors slid open. "Go, I'll bring her home." He turned and ran towards the fight as Angel and Oz stepped into the elevator with their respective burdens.

Buffy was slashing at the beast with her broad sword, but it healed too quickly for minor wounds to even slow it down. Spike grimaced as he watched Buffy sever one of the monster's hands and send it flying.

"Slice and dice then, yeah?" Spike called out to Buffy, but she didn't acknowledge him. He shrugged and took a mighty swing with his axe, aiming for the creature's knee. He managed to sever most of the muscle but the blade was stopped by bone. He pulled he blade free and readied to take another swing.

Buffy drove her sword straight through its body and yanked it down like a zipper pull, spilling guts and blood from the thing all over the floor. She tried to wrench her blade free but it was wedged against bone and wouldn't slide free. She tried to brace her foot against its leg to give her leverage, but the leg broke where Spike had weakened it. Buffy lost her balance and fell into the sludge of gore she had created. She jumped up, dripping and kicked the intestines off her feet before she launched herself at the thing with a growl.

Spike cringed as she grabbed the monster by the jowls and started to twist. He could here the bones breaking, but the thing kept pummeling Buffy with its stump while it tried to claw at her with its remaining hand. Suddenly a loud pop sounded through the room, and Buffy wrenched the creature's head off. She tossed it across the room, but the body didn't slump to the ground as expected.

The arms continued to attack Buffy. Spike looked down and saw the hand Buffy had severed earlier. It was still moving. The thing was in pieces and still alive. He looked up and watched Buffy rip the good arm from the torso, the head screamed out in agony. Spike joined her by the body as she wrenched at the remaining leg.

"Buffy, stop. It can't hurt us now, and you aren't killing it." Spike touched her shoulder, trying to sooth her. "We need to get home and research."

Buffy went very still and then she took several deep breaths. She looked at Spike over her shoulder and yanked the leg free of the body. Her sword came free and Spike grabbed it, sticking it through his belt to hang at his side.

"Abomination." Buffy growled at the remains and plunged her hand into iup ropes chest cavity and ripped the heart from its chest. The thing beat until she crushed it into a pulpy mush.

Spike panicked when he heard the sounds of something approaching. "We need to get out of here, pet. Now."

Buffy growled and Spike watched her pivot toward a set of doors across the room, and he slid the axe through his belt to secure it. Buffy was lost in blood lust, and he needed to get her clear. He stroked a hand through her gore drenched hair and rested his hands on her shoulders from behind. She didn't react to him in any way.

Buffy dropped into a fighting stance and prepared to leap into battle as the doors she watched crashed open to reveal to more of the undying monsters.

"No, pet, no!" Spike grabbed Buffy around the waist and pulled her back from the two rapidly approaching creatures. She struggled to get free from his arms, screaming and twisting. "Knock it off, Buffy."

"They can't exist! This can not be allowed." Buffy turned, her eyes glowing, and glared at Spike.

"I'm with you, pet. We'll get them later." Spike held fast against her struggles. "Don't make me go back to your mother without you. It'll kill her to lose you like this."

Buffy pushed against his chest, but he saw a moment of clarity break through the blood lust. He managed to get them a few more steps toward the door, using all his strength to pull her along.

"This can't be." Buffy growled. Turning her head, she spat at their attackers.

"What about Oz? Do you want me to tell him you didn't love him enough to try to make it out of here?" Spike felt the tremor run through her body. "We will figure this out, pet. We will find a way to kill the bloody things. I swear it, but now you have to protect our family. You have to make it Back to your wolf."

Buffy went limp in his arms for a moment before she nodded her head. "Get me home to our family. Get me to Oz."


	38. Chapter 38

Spike slammed into the apartment with Buffy clutched to his chest. "Oz, get your ass here now. I can't fight her one more minute. It's taken three hours to get here. She keeps trying to go back to kill the damn things."

"Abomination can not be allowed to live." Buffy snarled and tried to force her way out of Spike's embrace.

"You want Oz. Remember, pet? You need to keep Oz and the family safe from the undying freaks." He stared into her eyes and watched her struggle to control the urge to go hunt. He'd never seen bloodlust take a hold of her before.

"Oz." Buffy turned her head looking for her mate frantically. Oz sprang across the room and gathered her into his arms. She curled against him and whimpered.

"Be bloody careful. She goes crazy fast and hard when she thinks about those things. If I'd seen her act like that back in the old days I'd have taken Dru and fled."

"We had to sedate Mai." Oz nodded to the small group huddled around the futon. "Wes is holding Faith steady in the spare room, but once she recuperates we'll probably have to sedate her as well. I'm gonna clean Buffy up and then you can tell us what happened." Spike nodded and leaned his back against the door, exhausted.

Joyce rounded the corner and ran to Spike. "What happened to you? Are the things that bad?" She pulled his hand and led him towards a one of the bar stools.

"Your daughter did all of this. Trying to go back and fight. She's got a wild case of bloodlust for those things. The only thing that would call her back was jabbering on about Oz and the rest of you lot. It was a real pain in the well everywhere, but I got her home to you, Joyce." Spike flopped into the chair.

Joyce leaned her forehead against his and stoked her fingers lightly down the sides of his face. "Thank you." She whispered, knowing he could hear her.

"Well, I am going to be her stepfather. It's my job to protect her now." He grinned and then groaned as his lip started bleeding again.

"You rest. I'll get you some blood and clean you up." Joyce ran her fingers along his jaw and smiled. "I'm so happy you are both safe."

Spike closed his eyes and listened to all the milling bodies shoved into Buffy's tiny apartment. He sighed and opened his eyes as Angel came into the room.

"You're a sad looking mess, William."

"Thanks, grandpa." Spike smirked up at Angel.

"Rest. I'll take care of them for now. I won't let anyone hurt our little family." Angel looked down at Spike and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He pulled his other wrist up to his mouth and bit into it deeply and then pressed it against Spike's mouth. Spike stared up at him for a moment before he latched on and started to feed.

Joyce returned with a mug of blood and stood still, watching Spike drink from Angel's wrist. She looked up at Angel with a million questions in her eyes.

"It's better for him than pig's blood. Sire's blood will heal him faster." He shrugged. "I'll take the mug." He held out his other hand for it.

She handed him the mug and smiled. "I thought you hated him."

"No, I don't hate him. Vampire families are complicated. William is mine. My daughter made him, but I raised him. Vampires don't nurture like humans, but we do forge bonds. He was always a bit of a problem for me, rebellious and wild. Among our clan that's saying something." Angel took a sip of the blood and smiled at her in thanks.

Buffy stalked into the room clutching Oz's hand. She stared around the room for a moment, her eyes filled with sadness. Then she looked over at her mother chatting with Angel while Spike fed. She smiled at Spike. "Thanks for getting me home."

He nodded slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm okay so long as we wonder twin it." Buffy said and raised the hand she was using to old Oz close.

"Could we not be twins? It's a little unsettling, Buffy." Oz smiled at her. "Plus we are so not the justice league."

"We need to come up with a name and let Xander order us some shirts." Buffy grinned and squeezed Oz's hand lightly. Angel closed his eyes and Spike broke off drinking.

"No, I will fight evil for you Summers women, but I will not dress like the whelp. There are some lines even a soulless, evil demon like myself knows not to cross." Spike stared at Buffy intently. "That's a deal breaker."

Joyce giggled and sat down on his lap. "Spike, you aren't so evil, not anymore. You saved your slayer stepdaughter today. Makes you a hero."

Spike glared at them as they all nodded in agreement. "I'm just being contrary. Tell them, Angel."

Angel took a long sip of his blood and shook his head. "Welcome to the good side." He hid his grin behind his mug as Spike growled at him.

"It's all your damn fault, Buffy. I'm not sure how, but this mess has slayer written all over it." Spike wrapped his arms around Joyce.

"I think Angel might have had something to do with it." Buffy teased. "I am glad you got me home. Whatever the hell the government has done this time makes Adam look like a creampuff."

"You ripped him apart pretty well." Spike dropped his chin onto Joyce's curls.

"I didn't manage to kill any of it. It's time to see if more watchers researching will pay off. I need answers. We can't drug the others indefinitely."

"Yeah, Faith has been through enough without the drugs and Mai burns through the stuff so fast. I wish we'd had that cage put in. It might make things easier on her." Oz looked sadly at the girl being monitored as she thrashed, trying to fight even in her sleep.

"Well, that's my cue to crack the watcher whip and get Giles in the driver's seat for a bit." Buffy hugged Spike and her mom together, dragging Oz along and forcing Angel to step back. He watched the small group hug for a moment and moved to leave them alone when Buffy opened her eyes and looked at him. They stared at each other for a moment, and the tension between them melted away.

"Join the hug, grandpa." Buffy smiled at Spike's bark of laughter as Angel leaned his frame around the seated couple and placed one hand on Buffy and the other on Oz.

"Vampire families are complicated." Joyce said and everyone chuckled.


	39. Chapter 39

Buffy watched as Faith dragged Wes around the apartment. The only thing keeping her from running out to find the latest government creation was that tenuous grip on sanity their physical contact provided. Mai was chained and drugged. Buffy groaned and rolled her neck, fighting back the urge to hunt the abominations.

"Don't you touch what's mine," Faith growled when Wes stumbled over one of the younger watcher's feet. The young woman recoiled as Wes stepped between them and smiled gently at Faith.

"It will be okay. She wasn't trying to take anything away from you." He stroked Faith's arm with his free hand.

She pulled him closer and leaned her head on his chest. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on the top of her head. She worked the fingers of her free hand under his sweater and drew gentle circles on his skin with her fingertips.

Buffy observed the other slayers and puzzled over the difference in their reactions. She knew Giles was wrong in this. She wasn't the sanest because she had been active for the longest time, she was the sanest because of her bonds of family. She looked around her living room and felt the pull of her family. They needed her. Her eyes settled on Oz as he stood behind Giles pointing to something he found in one of the texts.

"I think I'm sane because I have a mate. I think Wes is probably Faith's mate." She said it loudly. "We are different than the slayers that came before because I have Oz and I bound us all together."

Giles looked directly at her as he thought over what she said. "You think you would be like Mai if you weren't linked with the rest of us."

"I think I'd be dead. Those things don't die. I cut that one to bits. It was still alive, every part of it. If Spike hadn't dragged me away and kept talking about our family, I would have died trying to kill all those things."

"You think I'm mated to Wes? Have you lost it, B? Me and the stuffed shirt?" Faith turned toward her but didn't release Wes' hand.

"I think she's right," Tara said quietly. "Your auras are blending like Oz and Buffy's do."

"It could be the bond between watcher and slayer." Wes fussed with Faith's hair as she snuggled back into his arms.

"I can see that between Buffy and Giles. The two of you have that as well. This is different." Tara said more firmly.

Faith looked up at Wes and smiled before she dragged him down to her lips for a kiss. He tried to pull back for a minute, but Faith held on until he visibly relaxed. Buffy smiled the pair.

Spike started to laugh and the group all giggled and smiled as Faith let Wes up for air. His dazed happy expression said it all.

"I have an idea." The mousy watcher that Faith had growled at looked straight at Buffy.

"So, spill. We need that knowledge." Buffy smiled to soften her demand.

"The thing is this sounds like the Templar Incursion to me. The drive to destroy the abomination, the inability to reason, Thirty-seven slayers were lost in three and a half months. It was the worst blood bath in slayer history. The council hunted the Templars to extinction for it."

"They've tried to make a male slayer." Wes shook his head sadly.

"They've made at least three." Buffy looked to Spike and watched him nod.

"No, Buffy, they made abominations. The power you carry isn't meant to flow in a male body. It changes the subject beyond redemption." Giles shook his head.

"Well, how do we kill the things?" Buffy demanded.

"These may be different than that one. It was a product of dark magic. These were created in a lab." Giles mused.

"Well, we can still try the old solution. If it doesn't work we'll need to start thinking about other methods." Buffy rubbed her hands on her jeans.

"We'll need your father's blood then." The mousy slayer looked up at Buffy.

"What?" Buffy focused on her.

"Mai and Faith are both orphaned. You still have a living male parent."

"Shit, if this fight hinges on Hank Summers we are doomed." Buffy slammed her fist against the wall. "We'll just have to get him here. He's in L.A. Xander, Anya, and two of the mini watchers can go get him."

"Let me go get him." Joyce smiled. "I'll take Xander and one of the spare watchers. Anya's got magical abilities. They might come in handy here."

"Mom, I just want you safe." Buffy looked at her mother.

"She'll be safer away from here for a bit, but I'll go along. You've got Faith here and there's Peaches and of course Oz. Not a bad fighting team." Spike's eyes traveled around the room before he settled them on Buffy's face.

"Okay, Dad." She smirked at him.

"I could take you over my knee brat." Spike smiled. "Spare the rod, spoil the child."

"We are talking about you, not Angelus." Buffy giggled.

Oz walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into him with a sigh. The warmth radiating from his body into hers drove the blood lust further away.

"Buffy, you need some rest. Let the others get your Dad and research this angle. Faith can be slayer on call for a bit." She shivered as he pulled her back towards their room.

He smiled as he closed the door. Pack living was going to take some adjustment. He had forgotten how connected they all were to his beloved. He grinned at her and she blushed.

"This isn't a good time. They're all out there." She glanced down at her feet. "I mean I really want to you know."

"Buffy, I did not bring you back here to you know." He smiled and tweaked her nose. "I'd rather have the place to ourselves and no crisis looming."

"So, then sex is a no go for us?" Buffy grinned.

"Point." Oz nodded. "Guess I would like the threat level to be normal instead of extreme. I just need to know you aren't weakening yourself before the big fight."

"What?" Buffy shifted her eyes away from his face.

"I know you're bolstering Willow and Tara. Your helping Faith. You need to pull back on the energy sharing for a bit." Oz growled softly and touched her shoulder. "Let me take care of them while you rest."

"You want me to take a nap? Are you kidding me?" Buffy snarled at him.

"No," He ran his fingers through his hair. "I want you to let the group learn how to use their bonds to get what they need from each other. They are a pack now. You are the Alpha. You can protect them, but they need to learn their strengths. Let them, please."

"What if Willow goes crazy again?"

"Giles can handle her. Tara and Anya can help. Hell, Xander can run his mouth at her until she collapses from boredom. Trust your pack." He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"So, you're really gonna make me wait 'til everyone is back to normal." Buffy smiled and wrapped herself around him.

Oz groaned and shook his head.


	40. Chapter 40

Faith had finally stopped dragging him around by his hand, but he could feel her trembling as she leaned her back against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her lovely curls and looked out the window.

"Buffy and Oz have a nice place here. Never saw her with wolf boy. I mean I thought she liked 'em all big and scary." Faith reached out with her free hand and touched the glass.

"Well, I must admit to being rather surprised myself. Angel still loves her. I had thought it must be reciprocated." Wesley mused sadly as he thought of Angel.

"It really sucks for him, but they would have never had a chance. After he killed her teacher and she sent him to hell, the guilt was ripping her up. It's like they were doing penance being together. They both deserve better. Buffy was smart enough to go looking."

"Apparently, she did a rather fine job of finding."

"Yep, Buffy seems happy. She was smart enough to grab a good thing." Her whole body shook.

Wesley slid his hand around her waist and pulled her lithe body back against his, offering comfort. "What's wrong?"

"She came for me. You both did, and I don't deserve you. She visited me in prison. I did everything to try and end her, she almost killed me, and then I tried to steal her life and she still visited me." Faith shook her head slightly feeling the weight of his chin as she did so. "She's forcing Quentin to fix my situation, so I can start working in L.A. with your crew. She said she would not let me be put back in a box. I want to be good like she is."

"Then you shall be." Wesley dropped his head from the top of hers and rested his forehead on her shoulder.

"I'm not good like she is. I don't know how to be." Faith pushed her hips back and knocked Wesley back a half stride. She spun and faced him resting both hands on his face. "I tortured you, and you came for me. Why?"

"You are my slayer. Our bond never fully developed, but it was strong enough to carry on despite us."

"Do you think it's more?"

"Do you want it to be?" Wesley ran his fingers along her jawline. "I'm not adverse to the idea."

"Not adverse to the idea. Wow, Wes. You can really rock the romance." Faith smirked up at him.

He felt the blood rush to his face. "Well, this is rather an unorthodox courtship, but I know your soul now. I see you. You are good, lovely, kind."

Faith put her fingers up against his lips. "I am not like that. I want to be those things, and maybe, someday, a long time from now, I will be. Until then I'm a walking disaster. I'm possessive, jealous, angry, and I require constant reassurance. You aren't getting anything wonderful with me. I need this, but I want it honestly."

Wesley kissed her fingers until she stroked his jaw with them again. He pulled her closer to his lean frame. "I see your faults. I see that you are wounded. You've never had much of anything. I'd like to make sure you never want for anything again. I'm not the best watcher. I'm bookish and weak in a fight. It doesn't mean we can't help each other be better."

"The others might not want me around. I mean Angel and his gang, might not want me."

"Then we will find a new city to settle in."

"I need to be close to Buffy. I know it seems weird, but she's the only family I have in the world even though she isn't really family."

"Then if we are unwelcome in L.A., we will go to San Francisco."

"You wouldn't mind? I mean moving and not having much of a team, it isn't ideal." Faith rested her head against his chest again.

"Buffy will get us a team, Faith. She loves you. If she can't get you a team she'll help you find a place here. I know it."

"She's amazing. I did all that horrible stuff to her and she still came for me."

"She isn't without flaws."

"Don't knock Buffy."

"Don't put her on a pedestal. She deserves a true friend and to be seen as a real person. She gives you that." Wes smiled as she gripped him a bit tighter. "She needs you."

"Maybe." Faith suddenly pulled back from his embrace and stared up into his eyes. "You see the real me, right?"

"I do. I see it. I've been as far inside you as one being can go into another. I am still here holding you."

"Well, you haven't been in me as far as all that in everyway." Faith stood on her toes and dragged his lips to hers.

Her kiss flooded through him and he yanked her against his body and took control of the kiss. Their tongues played against each other and he felt a surge of heady power when she dug her nails into his back through his shirt. He broke away from her mouth and trailed kisses along her hairline delighting in her panting breaths. He lowered his forehead to hers and bit her lower lip gently.

"I may not know you inside and out in everyway, but I will. You are mine, Faith Lehane."

"Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, you are my very own bookish bit of heaven and I will never let you go."

"Well then, that's settled. Wherever we go, we go together." Wesley ran his fingers through her hair and smiled as she leaned into his touch. "Do you want to talk to the others about where to settle?"

"Any chance L.A. or San Fran are going to disappear in the next few hours?" Faith smiled at his puzzled expression. "Then I can think of a much better way to spend our time." She dragged his mouth back down to hers for a quick kiss.

"Yes, much better." Wesley smiled against her lips.


	41. Chapter 41

Riley rolled his shoulders and grimaced as he tried to deal with the odd pain in all his joints. He hadn't expected a transformation, but it must be a side effect. They hadn't been able to run simulations or even animal tests. He looked around the ruin of the lab and shrugged. It didn't matter to him. He had enjoyed destroying the place. Looking at it now was actually rewarding. He was strong enough to take down anything.

The squirming pieces of his slayer brother were a bit gross, but he could be put back together. Hell, his other slayer brother was already fitting him together like a jigsaw puzzle. It wasn't pretty, but it seemed to work.

He walked around the room. Buffy had come here with her vampires. He shook his head and took a deep breath. She'd brought the wolf as well. Buffy liked her monsters. She always kept one around. Soon, he would be her only monster. He smiled and headed up to his room. He couldn't wait to show her how monstrous he could be.

Her picture still sat in the frame on his desk. He looked at her trapped in the glowing sun as she laughed at their first picnic. She'd been keeping secrets from him, hiding her true self. She had always held him at arms length. Always laughed at him. He wouldn't be getting that treatment anymore. He attached shackles to the floor at the four corners of his bed. He smiled as he surveyed his room. Buffy wasn't going to walk away from him again.

He would father a new race of warriors on her and she would learn how to treat a man in the process. She would learn or he would make her watch as he ripped apart all her little pets. He leaned back and smiled. She would cry as he raped her girl friends until their blood ran. Perhaps he'd even fuck her watcher and her lap dog Xander. He wasn't gay, but as a monster did it really matter? He wanted them all to suffer for never really liking him.

"Who am I kidding? I'm going to make her watch me hurt them again and again. I'm gonna make her cry and I'm gonna love it." He shouted and listened to his voice echo through the empty house. "I need more chains. I can chain up an audience. Make her vampire watch as I fuck her senseless as I make her beg for it to stop."

He whistled and took the elevator down to the ruined lab. They had gone on a rampage last night. The doctors and scientists had been easy and fun to rip apart. They were weak and hadn't expected any problems to arise. It had been so much fun watching them run in terror. He had rutted on one of the bitches until she bled out. The others had died to fast. He loved watching the tears stream down their wobbly faces. He hated them, women like Walsh, women who thought of him as a subject not a person. He closed his eyes and reveled in the memory of their screams.

He hummed as he scavenged for the things he wanted. Occasionally dipping his fingers in pools of congealed blood and licking them off, he found the body of a female he had not managed to destroy. She was blonde, but older than Buffy and less appealing. He played his fingers through her hair. It felt brittle and lifeless. Her body was stiff with rigor. He frowned and shifted her a bit. The smell of death was intoxicating. He propped her like a plank against the wall and continued his search.

He looked at the lifeless body and thought of Buffy. He wanted her to live, and with her healing she could take quite a beating. He smiled, but continued to stare at the remnants of the blond scientist. He needed to know her limits or he might kill her accidently.

"Can't father children on a dead body. I'll need to keep her alive. I'm also going to need something to amuse me when she's expecting, but I can just pick out a toy on campus. Some variety is a good thing. Buffy will hate watching that. Of course humans don't hold out for very long." He frowned and started looking for more chains. He would keep Faith, too. If she could with stand it then Buffy would be able to survive it.

He smiled as he filled a bag with the restraints he needed and some tools that might come in handy. The two holding cells were functional, one for the boys and one for the girls. They'd be crowded at first. He smiled and licked his fingers again imagining their fresh blood coating his hands.

He felt his pants tighten and groaned. He wasn't ready to capture them all yet. He needed both his brothers up and running. Perhaps he could go grab a random coed from the campus. He closed his eyes and imagined the warmth of the body beneath him, the tears, and the screams. His pulse quickened and he rubbed a hand along his zipper, pressing it into his flesh. He thought about it, let his mind wander. He closed his eyes and imagined watching the life fade from his victim's eyes. He looked at his bag and thought of Buffy chained watching him kill woman after woman.

"I am going to rub their blood on her body and lick it off until she screams." He laughed and kicked a dismembered head for distance. He wanted to play, but he needed to get things taken care of in his love nest. Plans required attention to detail. He eyed the stiff corpse one more time and flung it over his shoulder. Buffy had fucked a dead thing. There had even been some perfect happiness involved.

"Time to give it a whirl. See what all the fuss is about."


	42. Chapter 42

Buffy woke up fully clothed, wrapped in the arms of her mate and felt the peace of the moment settle inside her. Their world was going to pieces with abominations running free, but she felt happy for the first time since she'd been called. It wasn't a fleeting moment or a thing happening around her. Happiness was a warm glow from deep inside her, burning away all the doubt and pain. They belonged to one another.

She felt her mate's warm breath on the back of her neck and cuddled back into him. Oz growled and nipped her shoulder. She giggled and pressed her body tighter against his.

"Nice to wake up warm and secure." She trailed her fingers along his hand. She twisted around to face his knowing smirk. "Warm, aroused, and secure."

"Buffy, I am not going to do this with all of these people milling about." He traced a finger along her face. "I want this to be special."

"It'll be special. It's us. I love you. I'm happy for the first time in so long. I'll wait, if that's what you really want." She settled her body against his and kissed him lightly.

Oz groaned and pulled her underneath his body. Her legs spread and rose around his hips, cradling him against her heat. She clutched at his shoulders and moaned as he broke his lips from hers and trailed his lips down to his mark. He licked along it and enjoyed her tremors.

"Everything you've had since you've been called has been in reaction to some slay related crap. This is for the rest of our lives. I don't want us rushing this. I bit you because I had to do it. I had to save your life." He gulped and rested his forehead against hers. "I wanted it more than you'll ever know, but I wanted to earn it. I wanted to court you, give you everything you deserve."

"I wanted this, too. I've dreamed about it. I don't need perfect. I want you. I love you." He stopped her with a kiss. Their tongues battled and he reveled in her scent and the aroma of her arousal.

He broke the kiss and stared down into her eyes. "Are you sure? This isn't something we're rushing into because there's a new apocalypse on the rise."

"I'm not worried." She giggled up at him. "We've got humus."

He growled and thrust his hips against her. She nipped at his jaw. Her hands slid from his shoulders, trailing along his tee until they rested at his hips. She ran her fingers up under the hem of his shirt and rested them against his naked skin.

Oz trailed kisses along her neck, reveling in her acceptance. He licked along her collarbone pushing the thin straps of her shirt aside. He rubbed the side of his face along her shoulder and down until his ear rested over her quickly beating heart. He held still as her hands rode up along his back bunching his shirt up and baring him to her. He pushed up and dragged the shirt over his head and tossed it away. Her hands flattened against him, moving in broad strokes, learning every inch of the skin she had uncovered.

He pushed the edge of her shirt down and stared at her breasts. They were perfect, golden and tipped with deep rose nipples. She arched up and he dropped small kisses in the valley between them. She shifted beneath him, trying to draw his lips to them. He grinned against her skin and swirled his tongue toward her nipple only to slide away and head toward the other. Her fingers threaded through the living copper of his hair, but she didn't force him. He lathed her skin with his tongue, letting the rough of his whiskers brush along her skin.

Her body was churning, twisting, mindless, as she drowned in the sensations he created and the longing building within her. His tongue finally covered her nipple and swirled around the puckered flesh. She gasped as he nibbled at her.

His hands trailed up and down her sides encouraging her fervor. He slid to the side and trailed kisses along her belly. She looked up at him. His eyes flashed as the wolf fought for control.

He lowered his fingers to the button of her jeans when he picked up the loud argument coming toward the apartment. He flopped on his back and groaned. She stiffened at the sound of the slamming door.

"I don't give a good god damned what Buffy needs. You don't get to show up and shove me in the back of some car. You've gone as crazy as that child of yours." Hank Summers' voice rang through the apartment.

Oz turned and watched Buffy flinch at her father's words. He pulled her close and held her.

"You don't get to talk about my family like that, you bloody git." Spike snarled.

Buffy sprang from the bed and struggled to pull her shirt up from her hips and into place. Oz grabbed up his shirt and followed as she rushed out of their room. He cast one last regretful look at the tousled bed before he closed the door.

They rushed into the living room to find Angel holding Spike by the shoulders, his knuckles gone white. Joyce was behind them, crying into Giles shoulder.

"He's human, Spike." Angel hissed.

"You think I give a damn?" Spike snarled and shifted his body trying to break Angel's hold on him. "He's been nothing but cruel."

"If he'd been a better man, I wouldn't have the best immortal step daddy in the world." Buffy smiled at Spike. "Let me handle this berk. That's the right word, isn't it?"

Spike relaxed and laughed. Giles shook his head and Angel's lips quirked as if he could almost smile.

Buffy turned to face her father and smiled sweetly. "Daddy, it's been years. I hope coming to visit wasn't too much of an imposition."

Hank looked at Buffy in confusion. She didn't look like the round-faced picture on his desk anymore. The girl she had been was gone.

"You've grown up." He reached out for her, but she dodged his fingers.

"Tends to happen." She looked him over. "You've gotten older and I'll bet the girlfriends have gotten younger."

His hand flew at her cracking against her cheek with a large sound. Oz sprang at him, growling. Buffy grabbed him and hauled him back to her side.

"I let him do it." She said and kissed his cheek. He looked at her with glowing eyes. "I can handle him."

Oz pulled her against him and kissed her reddened cheek. "If he raises a hand against you or any other member of our pack, we'll be drawing lots to see who gets to rip the bastard apart."

"He won't." She stared into her mate's eyes, kissed him, and turned back to her father. "Daddy, would you like to meet my family? I mean you know Mom, the woman you left because she didn't want to let me rot in a mental hospital, but the rest of them are new to you."

"Buffy, that's not true." Hank coughed.

"Well, I guess it is only a partial truth. You also wanted to fuck your secretary without having to feel too guilty about it." Buffy tilted her head and tapped her finger against her chin. "She was the one with the overbite and the long legs."

"What did you tell her?" Hank glared at Joyce.

"She didn't have to tell me, Daddy. I knew. I could smell it on you and I heard enough of your business calls. I didn't need anyone to tell me. Can we move on with the introductions? We're a complicated group."

Hank looked around the room. He felt very out of place.

"Vampires, Angel and Spike. Mom is marrying Spike, which makes Angel both my first lover and my step granddad. Weird, I know. There's a whole bunch of Watchers, think of them as cousins to my real father figure, Rupert Giles. He's made some mistakes, but when the chips are down he's always been there. That's what a real dad does. Then we've got Cordy, she's a seer, Anya, an ex demon, Tara and Willow, both witches, oh and lesbians, too." Buffy smiled. "Mai's the one in chains. She's a slayer, but she's too young to have a mate and the urge to fight these things has made her a little kooky."

Wesley and Faith joined the group and Buffy smiled at their disheveled appearance. "This is Wes and Faith. Wes is Faith's mate, right?"

"Hell, yeah." Faith smiled and bit his jaw lightly causing Wes to flush pink and fidget with his jacket.

"Faith is my sister slayer. She was called when Kendra died. Kendra didn't last very long, but I miss her. She was called when I died facing the Master. Did you know I'd died? Well, Xander saved me. He's human, but he never backs down from a fight. That takes real guts. Not like you."

"Thanks, Buffster." Xander smiled at her.

Buffy spun around quickly and pulled Oz to her. He smiled into her eyes and danced her around in a small circle.

"Mom is getting married soon. I guess we covered that, but I forgot to let you know that I am, too. Well, we should have a human ceremony. Don't you think?" Buffy looked at Oz and he raised just one corner of his mouth. "This is my Oz, my mate. He's a werewolf. We actually live here together."

"You should be living in a dorm.

"You see, Daddy, everyone here does what you're about to do all the time. They fight the good fight. Some of them do it with me. Some fight the good fight elsewhere. I respect them. Of course, you may not like what I need you to contribute, but I really don't care. You can sit down and shut up until we're ready for you." Buffy stalked toward her father. "If you don't, well, I haven't been Daddy's little girl in a very long time."


	43. Chapter 43

Hank stared at the two men as they looked through the weapons. What the hell was his little girl doing with all those weapons? The one Joyce claimed as a fiancé, seemed to find the whole situation amusing. He was always smirking and sniping at the others. The one Buffy had said those horrible things about looked very serious. He frowned most of the time, and he watched Buffy with an air of sadness. The rest of the people seemed tense, and they all believed his daughter's crazy story about good and evil.

She was clearly insane and this must be some kind of cult. He had been kidnapped by his daughter's cult, and they'd given him something to make him see those weird faces. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to control his heart rate.

"They're not crazy, Hank." Joyce sat next to him. He saw the blonde fiancé turn and stare at them from across the room. "I didn't see it at first. I thought Buffy was clumsy or fighting or goodness only knows what. A vampire, a pretty blonde girl that sired Angel, attacked me and I was convinced I'd fallen on a barbeque fork. It took years for me to come to terms with our girl's destiny."

"I thought she was living in a dorm. Why are we paying for an apartment?"

"We don't pay for any of it. Buffy works at a dojo to earn the money for this place. I can't get her to take much from me. She likes her independence. You should be proud of her."

"She's living with that shorter red head that she thinks is a werewolf and I am supposed to be happy? Why won't you get her the help she needs?" He glared at Joyce.

"Leave Mom alone, Daddy. Spike gets a bit antsy when she gets upset. It usually leads to violence." Buffy smiled at Joyce. "Mom, don't waste your time. He'll be convinced or headed to the loony bin before this is over."

Angel and Spike brought over six swords. A couple of the watcher's came over with the Giles man. They stood there, all starring at Hank.

"How do we do this? Does the blade just need to be bloodied or do we need to actually slice his skin?" Buffy asked as she pulled a small blade from her boot.

"There isn't enough information available here and the time is too limited to sift through the mountains of it at the main library." Giles said. "I think you'll have to stick with the original plan. Draw the blood for the first attempts and take him with you in case it needs the actual cut."

"Do it, Giles. Get us enough for one run." He nodded and went over to the weapons locker and pulled out an extensive medical kit. Hank felt the sweat chill on his skin.

"Angel, Wes, Faith, Spike, Oz are with me. Oh, and Daddy. The rest of you stay here. I know it's crowded, but it's easier to defend you if I only have to hold this building."

"Miss Summers," Quentin came forward. "Godspeed and come back safely."

"It's hard being on the front lines. Good for you though." She smiled at him. "Keep them safe and listen to Xander and Giles. They know the lay of the land."

The older man nodded, and turned his eyes toward the two men and the young blonde witch surrounding Hank Summers.

"He'll go with you. The calming spell won't last long. The adrenaline spike after could be dangerous if I make the spell any stronger. Have Angel or Spike keep track of his heart rate if you can." Tara looked at her with watery eyes and tucked a stray hair behind Buffy's ear. "We will be fine. There are some old protections I can work with Willow and Anya to reinforce the wards once you leave."

"Be safe, all of you." Buffy hugged Tara and squeezed Giles hand while she looked at all the others. The golden light from the bulbs illuminated their worried faces. "I've faced down worse than Riley hopped up on slayer power."

"Wish we were going with you is all," Xander smiled at her. "We're not used to sitting on the sidelines."

"Headquarters," Buffy smiled at him as she pulled him into a quick hug. "This is headquarters, not the sidelines."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm still important." He stroked one hand down her back and pulled her closer.

"If things go sideways, I'm trusting in you and Giles to make sure everyone but Travers survives. I know better than to think either one of you would even try." She whispered in his ear.

Spike, Angel, and Oz chuckled. Faith rolled her eyes and rested her sword against her shoulder. "Can we go kill something now? Please."

"Come on, Daddy. Time for a walk." Buffy held out her hand and he clasped it in one of his, smiling up at her in a way she had all but forgotten.

He nodded. "Sure thing, Kiddo. Let's go." He waved at everyone with his spare hand as Buffy led him through the door. Oz followed with a quick wave and a nod of his head. Spike stared at Joyce.

"Everyone come back." Joyce said, her voice even and calm. "Even Hank."

Spike snickered and Angel shoved him out the door. "You are a vampire, remember? Have some dignity."

"Whatever you say, Peaches." Spike laughed. "This is gonna be fun. You are a vampire, too. Remember the violence and the mayhem? We get to kill things today."

"You bring Wes home safe." Cordelia said to Faith. "We need his brain."

"Well, I'll do it, but I'm keeping the body. Okay?" Faith winked at the seer and laughing, she pulled a blushing Wes out the door behind her.

The room fell silent for a moment and no one moved.

"They will come back. If they don't all lose their minds and try to kill each other again." Anya huffed.


	44. Chapter 44

Riley was barely recognizable as he strode toward Buffy and Faith. Angel growled low in his throat behind them. Wes grabbed Faith's shoulder before she could lunge ahead. She hissed but steadied under his hand.

"Well, lookee here, Angel, he's got you beat for best monster ex." Buffy snickered at the vampire's outraged gasp and spun her sword in a careful arc. "He's also brought a few more friends than I sensed before. They're different. Everybody mind your flank."

"Buffy, we need to know if this is going to bloody damn work." Spike said quietly. "If not, we need to get while the getting's good."

"With ya on that." Faith said. "I am so not liking the vibe."

"Okay, Angel keep Spike and Oz alive. Spike, Oz, keep Dad from blubbering and keep Wes safe." She poured some of her father's blood on her fingers from the pint bag and wiped it down the shining blade of her sword before handing it to Faith. "I'm gonna see if this will even work."

Buffy sprang forward when a large rat like creature leaped between her and Riley. Buffy swung the blade quickly and beheaded the rat thing. It fell dead at her feet and started to dissolve into blue goo.

"Wes, what the hell is that thing?" Buffy called as more of them emerged from the bushes.

"I have no idea, Buffy. I've never seen anything like it, never read about anything like it either." He pulled Faith back further and she shrugged his hand off.

"The blood killed that." She nodded toward the goo.

"Or the beheading, beheading works on most things." Buffy grinned. "Pass the blood. I want a fresh coat for the test."

Faith passed her the blood and came up next to her. "Send the others back. This is too dangerous and your father is going to have a heart attack if this goes badly."

"If this goes badly, Faith. He'll be the lucky one." Buffy looked up at Faith. "Riley is not really sane. The whole thing last year must have done more to his mind than I realized. He let them do that to him. He hurt you."

"Don't feel bad for the fucker, Buffy. He'll hurt us both for fun. I sense the other two on our left." Faith used her eyes to indicate their location. "The rat things are confusing me, but we can do this now."

"Okay, you take the rats and I'll test Dad's blood on one of the science experiments. To the left." Both girls nodded and leapt, their blades flashing and their hair streaming behind them as they ran toward their concealed enemies.

The rat emerged from the cover of the undergrowth and charged at them. Faith drove her sword deep and swung tossing it aside, but it landed and sprang for her again. She spun and kicked out knocking the slathering beast to the ground. A clean cut left her with a bisected living rat monster.

"Buffy, the ratamagig isn't dying." Faith turned as two more broke into the field. "The damn things are fast."

"Spike, we need more blood and weapons at the ready." Buffy yelled as she surged ahead of Faith while the other girl stopped to coat her sword.

She flipped over one of them and drove her sword deep into its chest. It writhed as it began to dissolve from the wound sit out. Buffy tossed a feral grin at Faith, and chopped the tail off of their other attacker. It's haunches started to dissolve and he screeched as it fell to the ground trying to claw away from it's own demise.

Faith whirled around as Spike came charging up to them. She relaxed and smiled at Spike lowering her weapon and turning back to the tree line. He smirked at her back and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Good to know I've still got it." Spike grinned as he scanned the surrounding area. "We took a little bit from his palm. Covered this short blade and mine, and we coated crossbow bolts. That's all we can do for now. Your father is not holding up. You get all your sterner stuff straight from your Mum. We need to get him back to Tara."

Buffy nodded. She looked at the rats and the two abominations staying behind the line or rodent demons. She scrunched up her face. Riley was watching this, like some old time general watching his troops line up to fire at the other line. It was a stupid way to fight. She glanced at Riley from the side of her eyes. He was moving closer. She needed to act.

"Faith, cross bow, take the rats fast and furious. Spike, you're with me. We're going for the big game. If I lose my head again, get me home, get everyone home safe."

They both nodded and Spike and Buffy ran for the line of advancing vermin, and leap frogged over them to engage the true menace. They landed and leapt together toward their goal darkened blades leading.

Buffy felt the sweet pressure as her blade pierced the flesh before her, some part of her rejoicing in this kill. She pulled the blade up the gut of her prey like a zipper and watched dissolving guts slide to the grass as it fell to its knees. She wrenched the blade free from its ribs and used her arm strength to vault her body over his shoulder like a gymnast. She spun and sliced its head off with an unused section of the blade. She could see the flesh beginning to dissolve as the head fell to the ground.

The dart hit her thigh and she wrenched it free, falling to her knees as the world went grey around her. Spike snarled and looked at Riley standing back and lowering the tranquilizer gun as his sword sliced through the creature before him, listening to it dissolve as it hit the ground. Faith took the last rat by driving her sword deep into it. She turned toward Riley and used her foot to clear her weapon of the dissolving corpse. He shot her with a dart as she started toward him. Spike looked at his blade. There was no blood left on it. He looked at the two girls on the ground.

"Angel, he's drugged them. Cover me." Spike called as he slung Buffy over one shoulder and ran toward Faith, hoping like hell they had only been shot with sedatives. Faith was heavier on his shoulder Angel steadily peppered Riley with bolts as did Wesley. Spike managed to get both girls to the safety of their group, collapsing to his knees in relief as Oz and Hank steadied him and removed his burden.

Riley charged at them, growling out inarticulate sounds. Angel dropped into a battle stance as Spike came to his feet, but it was Hank that stopped his charge. His eyes dropped to his daughter, pale and breathing shallowly at his feet. He grabbed a sword from Wesley and sliced the blade down his palm. He turned with fresh blood running down the blade and screamed out a cry of rage as he charged toward the slavering monster intent on harming his child.

Riley stumbled as he took in the headlong dash of the human, whirled, and fled. Spike leaned against Wesley. And grinned as Angel stopped the man from continuing on.

"My shoulder is dislocated, our girls are out like lights with god only knows in their systems, and I feel like laughing." Spike chuckled and shook his head as Angel wrestled the sword from Hank's hand. Wes and Oz knelt by their mates and picked them up.

"They worked well together." Wesley said as Faith's head lolled on his arm.

"Fun to watch them battle. Always has been." Spike nodded.

"I just want to get them home safely. It smells like a sedative. He's after them. He will move against us. We need to get ready." Oz nuzzled his nose into Buffy's hair pulling her comforting scent deep into his lungs.

Angel walked over with a struggling Hank wrapped carefully in his arms. Spike snorted, but choked back the laughter when Angel glared at him.

"Let me go," Hank screamed. "I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch. He hurt my baby."

Spike looked at Oz as he stood with Buffy in his arms. "Looks like she got a double dose of gumption."

"We already knew that." Oz said and turned, leading the group back to the apartment.


	45. Chapter 45

Hank was pacing back and forth, still reeling from the battle he had witnessed. He looked on as this group of people all moved about doing various things. They had jobs and tasks. He looked at the two girls lying on the couch. They were pale. His mind flashed to the battle, to Buffy driving that sword through a demon rat and tossing it with little or no effort. His baby girl was amazing, and he had missed it.

"They'll be okay." Joyce said as she handed him a cup of tea.

"How can you be so sure?" He looked at his ex wife and saw how much she had changed. The core strength of her being was the same, but now she glowed with happiness and purpose.

"You live through a couple of apocolypti, and rat demons don't phase you much." She shrugged.

"You didn't see these things." Hank shook his head.

"Well, I've done zombies, psychotic vampire boyfriends, baby eating snake demons, and giant demon mayors. Those are just a few of the low notes. This is a hell mouth. Buffy doesn't get a day off or someone dies." Joyce rested her hand on his shoulder. "Drink your tea. Tara says it will help you make blood faster. Buffy's gonna need that."

"First thing she's needed from me in so long." He took a long swig of the overly sweet beverage.

"That is bullshit." Joyce glared at him. "She's needed you all along. Needed us both. I may not have been in the know but at least I was at the party."

"I didn't know. I couldn't handle it. I thought she'd gone crazy, burning down a gym. A man died, Joyce."

"Merrick was already dead." Giles said. "He fought with her, saved her. His sacrifice is responsible for every life that remarkable young woman has saved." Giles leaned against the wall, watching his slayer breathe. "She still thinks she failed there."

"Merrick loved the girl, almost as much as you." Travers piped up. "He said she would be the greatest of all time."

"Well, she survived you." Joyce snarled and Spike snickered from his seat.

"Yes, she is remarkable." Travers said. "I fully expected her to fail."

"Buffy is the best. Most slayers aren't even a blip on the radar. Buffy's name alone makes some demons run in fear. Demon fairy tales used to feature slayers in various forms. Now most of the stories feature a blonde, punning, whirlwind of a slayer." Whistler said by way of introduction after he popped into the room. "Hiya, Angel, friends of Angel."

"Who the hell are you?" Hank whirled about and looked at the strange and frumpy man.

"Whistler, demonic fairy god pappy to," he paused and looked around. "Far too many beings in this room."

"What's going on?" Angel growled as he stood.

"Well, the human government isn't learning their lesson. This little fiasco isn't their biggest problem; so I need a mated slayer to come help fight their latest stupidity. Like now." He snapped his fingers and grinned as Buffy and Faith woke up. "Hiya, Buffy."

She glared at him and growled. Hank stared at his daughter in shock. Joyce snickered and Giles polished his glasses/

"What the hell are you doing here?" Buffy said as she grabbed Oz's hand.

"Alleviating your population problem. Same military idiots that made your military moron more, well, moronic and monstery engineered a vampire virus and set up a test in some lab in San Francisco. The stuff is nasty. The results are worse."

"So, I'm supposed to hop up in the middle of this battle and take on their other freaky lab experiment?"

"No. I'm gonna take the reform school slayer and her puppy watcher and maybe a few others."

"This is an all hands on deck thing." Buffy said.

"You can't protect them all, Buffy." Whistler sat next to Buffy and watched Faith scramble toward Wesley with a smirk. "This situation looked bad, but you handled it well."

"It isn't over." Buffy tilted her head.

"You have one out of control ex to handle. Not your first dance, is it?" Angel sat down with a nasty snarl.

"Buffy, be reasonable. You don't need them here, and they are a liability at this point. Faith was planning to head to Frisco anyway. Angel should take his crew, cause his daughter is about to take a whirl through L.A., and he might be able to stop her."

"So, everybody that's actually useful has to go, and you leave me with the rest of them?" She gestured vaguely with her hand.

"No, I'll take your sister slayers where they need to be, and I'll haul off the extra watchers, but you will still have your team. Angel can head home with his group under his own power. This isn't a big deal, Buffy."

"It is." Oz said. "They are our family, our pack. We were ready for a wide range, but it is hard to let them go."

"So, this is a freaky werewolf thing?" Whistler said. Oz just glared.

"Look, say your goodbyes and get your stuff sorted. He's gonna come for them and for you. He wants you, but any slayer in a pinch."

"Fine," Buffy nodded.

"I'm not going." Angel glared at her.

"So, Drusilla is heading to L.A. to wreak havoc and learn to surf for all you know. She's your creation, your responsibility. My team is good and they are sitting n the bench while we all play nice. Go, and take Daddy home."

"No!" Hank stood up. "The rest of them can go, but I am your ammunition. You need me."

"Dad, We'll take a pint before you go." Buffy smiled, but this isn't your world." Buffy grabbed his hand as the others looked on.

"It will be. I'm moving here. I want to get to know my baby again." He touched her cheek. "It seems like you give a lot of second chances. Do you have one for me?"

Buffy launched herself into his arms and would have knocked him to the floor if Spike hadn't caught him from behind. Whistler took off his hat and fanned his face to hide his smile.

In the bustle that followed, as the group struggled to divide, Spike walked over to Angel. The two vampires leaned against the wall side by side. Buffy and Faith were busy ramming the clothes they'd managed to round up for her into a bag. Wesley was intently talking with Travers and Giles. The chaos amused Spike and irritated Angel.

"I'll keep her as safe as possible, you know." Spike said.

"I know. Oz is good for her and the group of you has a shot at keeping her going. When the time comes and you need a place, find me." Angel never looked at Spike.

"Joyce has many years ahead of her. It'll be a while. Try to be kind to Dru if you can. I'd like to see her happy on the side of light someday." Spike looked at the ground.

"Don't do something stupid. These people need you. Use your brain." Angel turned and looked at Spike. "Hank is probably going to drive you nuts."

"Five dollars says he takes up Xander's tradition of dating demon women out to kill him." Spike smiled.

"No bet."

"Heard they talked you into field training two of the watchers. Mind your back. I won't be there for a bit."

"Yes, you will be. You're here doing what I am not strong enough to do." The two vampires stared at each other and shook hands before they returned to leaning against the wall.

"So, Wesley and Faith." Spike smirked. "Never saw that one coming."


	46. Chapter 46

Buffy took a deep breath, ate a bite of the tenth sandwich her mother had pressed into her hand and watched as Angel and his group headed out, his convertible open wide with Cordelia at the wheel. He was tucked into the trunk to avoid the afternoon sun. It was good to see him go. He would have his hands full with Drusilla soon enough. Willow was pacing the hallway. Xander was snoring with his head in Anya's lap. Spike was sharpening every blade in the house. He'd probably hit the kitchen knives next. Her mother and her father were arguing in the kitchen in angry whispers. Neither of them quite got that there was no whisper too low for her to hear. Tara was mixing some brew to help in the coming battle. She hadn't paid attention the explanation. Oz had just headed back to their bedroom with Giles to pull research materials, and it was driving her crazy.

Her mate was everywhere, a feast for the senses. Her nails bit into the flesh of her palms. Kicking the others out was not an option, but it sure had appeal. She closed her eyes and imagined his body under hers, the feel of his skin, the slide of his hair through her fingers. She fought down the urge to pin him to the floor regardless of their audience. There would be time. This battle would end with her victorious. It must. She had to win. There was finally a bright future within her grasp.

She turned and glared at Spike's knowing look, damned vampire senses. Her eyes trailed over her beloved family. She looked at Spike and he came to her with a nod of his head.

"I need to leave you here. Willow may be strong enough to fight whatever comes, but I trust you to save them all." Buffy looked at him with grim determination. "I'll take Oz and Dad. I'm sorry I can't take you."

"Wish I was going to the big fight, but you're trusting me with them means something. It's precious. Thank you." He pulled her into his side with one arm. "You take good care of the wolf. I want grandkids."

Buffy shook her head and giggled, pulling away from his half embrace. They shared a moment of peace as they surveyed the apartment. She reached out and squeezed his hand.

"You are no less important to me than them, so keep them safe, but no unnecessary risks." Buffy growled.

"Aye, aye, Captain." He saluted her with a click of his heels.

"You are such a wise ass. How does Mom stand it?"

"Go on then, find your better half." Spike laughed and popped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Seriously, Spike, he has to have a plan to take this place. If he manages to get any one of you, he has me. He knows that." Buffy bit her bottom lip.

"Pet, he won't get any of us. He'll try. He has to try. Fighting you takes all a monster has. Let's be thankful this one is stupid in all his forms."

"Not so stupid. He knows me." Buffy ground her teeth. "Knows how I fight."

"Yeah, doesn't make a bit of difference," Spike sighed. "You have patterns and weaknesses. Any monster can pick them out. Problem is they always turn into advantages somehow. I ought to know. Studied you and still lost every bleeding time."

"There were a couple of close calls." Buffy touched his shoulder. "I am much happier with you on our side."

"Well, who can resist the perks?" Spike grinned. "Always a fight brewing, remarkable and beautiful women at every turn, a few stalwart comrades, and the whelp for comic relief."

"Go sharpen something," Buffy said as she punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey, hey, no abusing of the stepfather to be," Spike laughed.

"Keep Mom happy and I won't." Buffy grinned and spun away from his playful swipe.

Buffy was heading back to her room when the phone rang. She heard her mother pick it up, the sharp intake of breath. Her feet stopped as she waited, knowing what was coming.

"Buffy, it's Riley. He wants to talk with you." Her mother's voice warbled.

"Got myself a new toy. She smells of you. She had an old woman and an even older man with her. The old woman tried to protect her. The old man went quickly, never even left the motel. The woman was a bit of a distraction. She didn't last long, Buffy. She just wasn't up to handling a real man." Riley sounded like a carefree boy as he recounted the horrors of his actions.

"Riley, you're hurting humans. Do you really think that's okay?" Buffy asked as she pushed down the guilt swamping her.

"Ellen is all chained up. I had to use Faith's room, but I'll make her another one. It'll be interesting to see how Ellen holds up compared to you and Faith. I'll be able to see if the slayer thing is genetically linked when I study the offspring. If they are as good, I'll have to find more potentials. You killed off my brothers. I need family."

"So, you're a rapist? That's what you want to be?" Buffy glared into the distance.

"No, I am the father of the next step in human evolution. You can't make a cake without breaking a few eggs." Riley laughed.

Buffy picked up Ellen's sobs. The girl sounded terrified. Thoughts of the cruciamentum flooded her mind. She had left the girl defenseless and with inadequate protection. This was her fault.

"What do you want?"

"I want to make you scream. I want to show you how wonderful it will be to be the mother of my children. I'll satisfy you. You'll beg for more. I can promise you that." He chuckled. "Come to Lowell House. Feel free to bring Faith along. Her accommodations will be ready soon. Can't have my control subject out there, when her service is required here."

"Fine. I'll be there soon. Don't hurt her, Riley. Try to be human." Buffy closed her eyes.

"Hurry, sweetheart. I don't have much patience anymore. Humanity was overrated, but you'll get to know all about that intimately." Buffy cringed as she heard Ellen whimper. "See you soon, Buffy."


	47. Chapter 47

Buffy looked up at Lowell House as she stepped out from the bushes where her father and Oz crouched. The sun was making its final, gaudy show in the sky behind the building. The front doors opened and Buffy stared at a very normal looking Riley. She swallowed. It was always easier to fight the monsters when they looked like monsters.

"I thought I told you to bring Faith along," Riley said, the hard edge of his speech belying his rather friendly demeanor. "I was really looking forward to entertaining you both this evening."

"Yeah, she had better things to do." Buffy shrugged.

"Oh, so you didn't want to share me. I'm flattered. I know how hard it must be for you to realize your diminished status. No matter how many females I choose to keep with us, I promise you'll always be special to me." Riley stepped down the concrete stairs that led up to the brick building.

Buffy could see students milling about. This was no place for a smack down, but she was pretty sure Riley didn't care about secrecy anymore. She bit her lip to stifle a groan. Why did the evil idiots always want to put on a show? She shook her head in frustration. Now so wasn't the time to think about this crap. She looked up at the frat house. Riley had always liked the building. She narrowed her eyes. It was time to play.

"I hate this building," she said with a delicate shudder. "So many bad memories."

"Oh, we had some great times here." Riley reached out to touch her face with the backs of his fingers, but she moved away at the last moment, evading his touch.

"No, you had a lot of good times here. I was bored most of the time." Buffy grinned at him. She had stolen his high ground. She stood in the open doorway while he stared up at her. "And training with you was no challenge. Well, it was a challenge not to break you, so that's something. I guess. Not much to hang your hat on is it?"

"Bitch." He swung hard and punched her in the stomach. She tumbled into the house. Oz grabbed Hank's arm and shook his head once when the man tried to go to his daughter's aid.

"I hate it, too, but she is protecting all of the regular students milling about. She wants this fight inside that house, and she just tricked him into giving her the high ground. She knows what she's doing." Oz looked at the man steadily.

"Why didn't the others come with us? She shouldn't have to fight this thing alone." Hank groused. "Why can't the government handle this?"

"The government made that monster," Oz said simply. "And several others."

Hank swallowed as they heard a crash from inside the house. He turned his eyes back to the door. Prayers, forgotten since childhood, ran through his mind. He winced as another booming sound came from inside the building.

"No one even notices." Hank watched the passing students. "They just keep going about their business. How is that possible?"

"We call it Sunnydale Syndrome. You'd be amazed at some of the weirder stuff in this town. When the mayor turned into a giant snake demon, most of the people that were there, even those that helped us fight it, thought it was an hallucination brought on by a natural gas leak." Oz shrugged. Another crash sounded from inside the building.

"We need to get in there." Hank pulled against Oz's restraining hand. Oz shook his head and stared at his watch. Buffy had been very specific. He smiled at the sound of glass shattering. Every sound was a reminder that his mate was still fighting, nothing as stupid as Riley Finn was ever going to take on Buffy and win.

"We need to get in there and find Ellen. She might be in bad shape and Buffy wants her out of the building before the fight is over." Oz stood up and stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Why?" Hank asked. "It seems like getting rid of the monster first would be the way to go."

"Yeah, most times you're right, but this is a military installation. There maybe some form of self-destruct code. It's the kind of thing this group would do. They had protocols for dealing with their protocols. Things went badly last year. Buffy figures they would have upgraded the system to cover their tracks if things went wrong again." Oz shook his head. "They would make it look like a fire caused by an electrical problem or something."

"She's dealt with these people before?" Hank looked shocked.

"Yeah, she doesn't go after humans, so they get another bite at the monster apple." Oz shrugged. "Spike, Giles, and I may have to figure out some way to deter the bastards from a third round."

They approached the doors quietly. Oz grinned as he heard Buffy. She was just chatting away, puns flying as fast as her fists. He slid in through the door and dragged Hank behind him.

"I never really liked the décor in this place. It lacked a certain homey quality." Buffy laughed as she threw a recliner at Riley's head. He dodged it and ran at her, but she twisted and flipped away from him at the last second. "But suddenly, I find it very appealing."

"If you destroy my home, I will punish you. There are myriad things I can do to you that will hurt without damaging anything important. Hell, I could just let you watch me punish the others. You'll be helpless, unable to save them." Riley taunted her.

"You really are a sick fuck. I mean that can't all be monster. You have a cruel streak a while wide. The control issues I knew about, but this other stuff was really well repressed." Buffy shook her head as she jumped back beyond his reach. She saw Oz and her Dad going up the staircase and dropped to one knee as she rolled away from his next attack.

"Buffy admit you don't want to kill me. You still love me. Why else come here and leave your family unprotected? Don't worry. I'll bring a few of them here for you to visit with. I imagine Willow and Tara would make nice additions to our family if I kept them drugged enough. Perhaps lobotomies would remove their magical abilities."

Oz shuddered as he listened to Riley's plans. Buffy was handling everything well, but he fully understood the abomination stuff now.

He took a deep breath and picked up on the traces of Buffy's scent mixed with another. He followed the girl's scent easily. It took a matter of minutes to find Ellen chained in a room with the dead corpse of her watcher.

He heard Hank gag. The woman had been brutalized and left broken, her eyes fixed and cloudy. Oz walked past the corpse and approached Ellen quietly. She had a bloody lip and her shirt was hanging in tatters. The metal collar would be a bitch to take off. He looked at the chain. There had to be a weak link somewhere.

Hank looked around the room for something to cover the woman's body. The things that had been done to her made him sick. He looked over at the werewolf examining the chain and he braced himself against a dresser as another wave of nausea hit him. He looked at the bed and saw the discarded duvet next to it. He grabbed it and covered the woman. A dull green toolbox rattled as he pulled the duvet off it.

"Good find, Hank." Oz smiled and grabbed the toolbox that had been concealed under the blanket. "Should make the job easier."

Buffy tripped over a power cord and went crashing to the floor when she heard a banging sound from above them. She scooted back from Riley and hoped he wasn't paying attention to the sounds from upstairs. They needed to get Ellen clear. Then she would kill him and hope like hell she could get out of the building fast enough. Riley liked back up plans, and she very much doubted he had changed enough to lose his penchant for the over romanticized crap. Dying together would probably appeal to his demonically charged little heart.


	48. Chapter 48

Everyone was quiet, not calm, but quiet. Joyce watched as Spike went over weapon after weapon with Xander and Giles. They were sharpening blades and adjusting things on the crossbows. The three men, working with deliberation and confidence, seemed unruffled by this latest fiasco, but Spike hated missing out on the good fight, and the others were never far from the action. Buffy so rarely went into battle without them at her back. Joyce stared at them trying to see the motivation behind her daughter's battle plans. Why had she left three of her strongest supporters behind? Oz was used to the life and nearly as strong as Buffy, but Hank? What use could he possibly be?

"He knows her Joyce. He knows how he thinks to a certain extent. She took the team she needed and left us because he will expect us to be with her. She did it because she knows him far better than he knows her. We are the second front." Giles looked up at her with a sad smile. "She left us here to defend the home he will attack because she couldn't figure out a way to minimize the risk to those she loves most. Don't worry about it. She is the best and Oz will bring her back to us."

"He's right, Love." Spike smiled. "Think it's time you learned to use a weapon?"

"Am I really going to need it?" Joyce watched as Spike closed this eyes in frustration. He didn't look that way very often, and it made her nervous.

"We've kept you from the heart of the action for most of the big battles," Giles said patiently. "Buffy was reluctant to endanger you by dragging you into this world, but the luxury of standing on the sidelines can't last forever."

"You're not just the slayer's mum anymore, Joyce." Spike put the dirk down and stood up. "I love you. I want to keep you out of danger, but this is the front line. You need to be able to defend yourself."

"I almost brained you with an ax," she huffed.

"I wasn't after you or you never would have gotten the drop on me." Spike growled. "There aren't many creatures that scare me, most of them fight on our side, but I have enemies."

"I've been the slayer's mother for years. How much worse can it get?" She snorted derisively.

"I'm a member of the most powerful vampire family in history, and I fight for good now. That's bad enough, but what if Drusilla comes for you, Love? Quick, decisive action would be the only recourse available. Ask any of them." He gestured to the room. "If she were sane, Angelus would look like a fluffy puppy in comparison."

"He's telling the truth." Anya said. "Knowing how to fire a cross bow, or swing an ax could save your life. I also think you should learn a few little tricks, not serious magic, but stuff to help in an emergency. I could teach you or Tara."

"None of you have worried about this before." Joyce looked at their determined faces And realized that there was no truth to her statement.

Anya smiled at her and shrugged her shoulders before heading toward the window. Joyce sat next to Spike and covered his pale hand with her own. He looked at her with a gentle smile.

"You can handle a bladed weapon in a very basic way, slice and hack, but that won't keep you safe from a stronger, faster opponent unless you're lucky. I can't trust in luck with you, so you need to become familiar with some longer range weapons." Spike opened his hand beneath hers and their fingers laced together.

"You don't have time to teach her, Spike. Get her an ax. Now." Anya yelled. "Everybody get a weapon, right now."

"Why?" Giles stood and moved toward Anya as she stared in horror at the street below.

"Because I was right. There are living nightmares and they're here." Anya said as she moved toward the weapons cabinet.

Giles looked down through the window, and darted after Anya his lips pressed together in a firm line.

"What is it, Giles?" Willow asked as she stood.

"Bunnies, it's bloody bunnies. The sick bastard made killer rabbits."


	49. Chapter 49

Riley looked down at Buffy sprawled across the floor in front of him. It was nice to be the stronger one. Nice to be a true man again. The flush in her cheeks was incredibly appealing. He rubbed his cock in anticipation. She was so fucking pretty like this, terrified and weak. He had always hated her easy assurance in battle, her complete confidence in her own abilities. He stepped closer to her and saw the revulsion in her eyes. It would take time to overcome that, but he could be patient. Hell, he could enjoy breaking her a little bit at a time.

Buffy suddenly swung both legs so quickly they blurred. He tried to track her movements, but she was too fast for him. There was more of a challenge in her than he had realized. He felt her hit his back like a humvee. She giggled tauntingly as he landed face first on the floor.

Rage exploded and he flipped over and managed to get a hand on her leg. He swung her body out and flung her into the wood paneled wall. She slid down and he saw her wipe a trickle of blood from her mouth with some satisfaction.

"I am the man, Buffy." he waved a finger at her. "It's time you understand the true meaning of that. I'm not some mushy old English dude or whimpy little friend you can push around. I am not a dead thing, clinging to your life. I am important. You will pay attention to me."

"You are so just another bit of been there done that for me, Riley. And you sound like a two year old throwing a fit." Buffy smiled sweetly at him as she moved sideways forcing him to turn. "It has been so nice not having to stroke your delicate ego everyday. The problem wasn't in your stars or your genetics. The problem was always you. You never measured up for anyone but Walsh and even she wanted to modify you. Dear Mother, how you must miss her."

"I wasn't the one still in love with a god damned leech," he growled and shook his head. "Making a real man beg for the crumbs left by a corpse. I deserved better."

"Angel isn't a leech. Damned, okay, I'll give you that one, but he fights it everyday. He is strong. Strong enough to accept me and not feel threatened." She tilted her head and narrowed her gaze on him. "I wasn't in love with him when I was with you. I love him. Part of me always will, but I stopped being in love with him a long time before I met you. Most of my attachment to him was guilt driven by the time you showed up. The truth is I just never loved you. It was nice to be wanted, especially after Angel and Parker, but that's about all we ever had."

"You'd rather let a dead thing crawl between your legs than have a real man in your life." he sneered. "Is it because you're so frigid? Just gotta have that cool, dead body. Necrophiliac."

"When you are nothing more than a dripping pile of goo, a real man will be taking me to bed, so I'll finally know what that feels like." She smiled sweetly and blew him a kiss.

"You bitch, you will learn your place," he ground out, charged and knocked her back against the wall, screaming as rage swamped him. Buffy slammed against the wall with his shoulder rammed into her abdomen. He smiled as her breath whooshed past his ear.

She kicked out with her one free leg and crushed his manhood with her foot. He fell back and saw her smile as she pulled a short sword out from over her shoulder. The smile was disturbing. He could see why so many HST's had feared even the mention of her name, but he was made of sterner stuff.

"You are an abomination," she said as she placed her foot on his chest. She looked like a goddess as she stared down at him with a frosty glare. "You have made yourself into the worst type of monster. I'm sorry."

"Buffy, please," he pleaded. Riley looked up at her. He was confused about how it had come to this. The plan had been perfect. All he had ever wanted was to serve his country and love this woman. She was his, his reward for service, his reward for a life well lived. "How can you do this to me?"

She hesitated for a moment, and he kicked out at her legs forcing her to retreat. He sprang up and charged her. She swirled out of his reach and grabbed the floor lamp to hold him off. He could see her tiring. Soon, she would be beneath him as he thrust into her, willing or not. She would be his.

"We are going to have a wonderful family and rule the world." Riley watched her lip curl in distaste and rage flared through him again. He grabbed the lamp and shivered as electricity arced through his body. Even a Taser wouldn't stop him. He knew she had discovered some weapon that could kill him, had seen her use it on his brother warriors. "I am not some simple monster. I am the future. I will be the one, and there will be peace. I am the perfect balance of man and sub terrestrial. What are you?"

Buffy slammed the other end of the lamp with all her strength and sent him flying. He hit the wall and slid down it. He felt pain in his abdomen and looked down to see the lamp emerging blood soaked from his stomach. He tried to pull the lamp free, but it was rammed deeply into the wood paneling behind him. His hands slipped on the bronze pole as he watched her assess the situation. She was before him in a flash.

"I am the slayer." She brought the sword down in a smooth arc. Her sad, remote gaze was the last thing he saw as the world faded away.


End file.
